Monday, May 28, 2007
Plastination Sensation
Today we're having a barbecue at my sister's place, I've been in Arizona with my family since Friday. Here I am yesterday at the Arizona Science Center (below), where we saw Body Worlds, a first-of-its kind exhibition that enables visitors to learn about anatomy, physiology and health by viewing real human bodies, preserved through a remarkable process called Plastination. With this process, the body specimens are preserved with special plastics that enable us to view the many organs and systems under our skin. At left, bottom, is a plastinated man holding his entire skin, our largest organ.
Plastination provides a way to stop the deterioration of the body after death, and allows the body to be permanently posed for study. The process replaces bodily fluids and soluble fats with reactive polymers, such as epoxy resins, through vacuum forced impregnation. The specimens are posed for teaching value and harden after curing with gas, heat or light. Hardening the plastic in the specimens allows the bodies to be fixed into lifelike poses, which illustrate how our bodies respond internally to movements in everyday and athletic activities. We saw over 200 authentic human specimens, including whole bodies as well as individual organs, tissues, circulatory and nervous systems and transparent body slices. No photography was allowed.and here I am at the Science Center....
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