Re: {{ OT }} Bodies ... the Exhibition

Yep, went to one four years ago Frankfurt Germany. They had the horse and rider and I must have spent half a day just looking at that alone .... before going out for dinner. :)

Looks like the same one I went to in NYC a few years ago when I drove up there to visit relatives. My cousin invited me to go (his gf had no desire to go with him!).

-Dave

I've got a problem with messing with dead people. I realize these people probably donated their bodies to science but it just seems wrong to me to desecrate them in public view.

When the guy who was operating a funeral home was caught dumping bodies in his back yard instead of cremating them that really set me on edge. They should have broken his arms and legs and buried him alive under a mountain of corpses.

"Dave L"

As a medical person, I was more fascinated more with *how* they did that, rather than the display itself. Ya see one cadaver, you've seen them all. I bought some souvenir stuff there.

:-)

Natalie

I think it's a disgusting commercialized display of dead people.

Dunno if you know this, but every cadaver in that exhibit was from

*volunteer* subjects. If it were homeless people, or something like that, I would agree with you, but I think a person has a right to say what happens to their own remains.

Natalie

Yes, I know that, but it, the exhibit, still seems very strange to me.

Fair enough, but I just didn't think it was fair to condemn the exhibit, when participation in it was purely voluntary, that's all.

It's very effective, however. I think we tend to take our bodies for granted, and this exhibit shows the general public how truly amazing and practical our bodies are, though we abuse them.

They had a section of infants/embryos, which bore a sign informing us that these were all spontaneous deaths, but that the more sensitive people should probably skip it. I thought everything they did was very respectful of the displays.

In the part of the exhibit about the respiratory system, it shows healthy lungs, and smoker's lungs. Right next to that is a clear box, in which you can throw your smoking supplies. There were a lot of them there! LOL Who knows if the folks who ditched the stuff stayed smoke-free, but at least it got their attention.

:-)

Natalie

Yeah, I thought the displays of a smoker's lungs vs. healthy lungs would have grabbed some attention. It was amazing on the "how" they did that. At least it didn't smell like formaldehyde (from what I remember). I remember taking a look in one of my brother's college classes - a room of cadavers being examined and dissected. Came out of there still smelling the formaldehyde...

-Dave

I characterize it as macabre. Sorry, but that's how I see it.

Oh I never denied that. :-) But I don't think it's totally gratuitous. I think it was a good educational tool, and a marvel of postmortem technique.

Natalie

"Dave L"

Gawd, autopsies used to gross me out - not because of the sights, but the sounds.

This will disturb DBU, I'm sure, but something that's even worse is a cremation. At one point, the heat activates the nervous system, so the body starts a bunch of wild, involuntary (of course, since they're dead) movements. The body may actually sit up, and appear to be speaking. It's a horror show. Good thing the family doesn't usually witness it!

*shudder*

Natalie

I wish I hadn't read this...

Cathy

I would *like* see it - on an interesting, intellectual plane. But don't think my involuntary reaction(s) - which reside on another plane - would allow me to.

Cathy

"Cathy F." ...

Could be worse - you could have *seen* it.

Natalie

OR dreamt about a relative doing this.

are you jeff strickland from north carolina? like from pondside in carteret? well if so msg me at myspace

myspace.com/ranoldoe

click this

It's a sort of macabre form of entertainment for many. Not me.