Jun 20, 2012

Human fascination with the inner workings of our bodies spans our collective history. Luckily, with recent collaborations between the scientific and artistic communities, exhibits featuring authentic, stripped down (as in to the bone) bodies in various poses and levels of dissection have been striving to satiate our curiosity.

While the photos in this collection may be too graphic for some viewers, exhibits from the Human Body Exhibition to Gunther von Hagens’ Body Worlds promote the inner beauty and anatomical wonders of the human body. Some go as far as scattering assistants and med students around the show floor to answer questions, while others offer viewers a front row seat to an actual organ dissection.

: June 15, 2012: A plastinated human bodies’ exhibit is seen during a media viewing for the exhibition “The Human Body” in Ostend. The exhibition which runs from June 16 to September 9 showcases dissected real human body specimens that are preserved through an innovative process and respectfully presented, giving visitors the opportunity to view the beauty and complexity of their own organs and systems. (Francois Lenoir/Reuters)

: June 15, 2012: An employee looks at a plastinated human body during a media viewing for the exhibition “The Human Body” in Ostend. The exhibition which runs from June 16 to September 9 showcases dissected real human body specimens that are preserved through an innovative process and respectfully presented, giving visitors the opportunity to view the beauty and complexity of their own organs and systems. (Francois Lenoir/Reuters)

: June 15, 2012: Plastinated human bodies are seen during a media viewing for the exhibition “The Human Body” in Ostend. The exhibition which runs from June 16 to September 9 showcases dissected real human body specimens that are preserved through an innovative process and respectfully presented, giving visitors the opportunity to view the beauty and complexity of their own organs and systems. (Francois Lenoir/Reuters)

: June 15, 2012: A plastinated human body exhibit is seen during a media viewing for the exhibition “The Human Body” in Ostend. The exhibition which runs from June 16 to September 9 showcases dissected real human body specimens that are preserved through an innovative process and respectfully presented, giving visitors the opportunity to view the beauty and complexity of their own organs and systems. (Francois Lenoir/Reuters)

: June 15, 2012: An employee stands next to a plastinated human body during the media viewing for the exhibition “The Human Body” in Ostend. The exhibition which runs from June 16 to September 9 showcases dissected real human body specimens that are preserved through an innovative process and respectfully presented, giving visitors the opportunity to view the beauty and complexity of their own organs and systems. (Francois Lenoir/Reuters)

: June 15, 2012: Plastinated human hands are seen during a media viewing for the exhibition “The Human Body” in Ostend. The exhibition which runs from June 16 to September 9 showcases dissected real human body specimens that are preserved through an innovative process and respectfully presented, giving visitors the opportunity to view the beauty and complexity of their own organs and systems.(Francois Lenoir/Reuters)

: June 15, 2012: A plastinated human body exhibit with a soccer ball is seen during the media viewing for the exhibition “The Human Body” in Ostend. The exhibition which runs from June 16 to September 9 showcases dissected real human body specimens that are preserved through an innovative process and respectfully presented, giving visitors the opportunity to view the beauty and complexity of their own organs and systems. (Francois Lenoir/Reuters)

: June 15, 2012: Plastinated blood vessels of an human face are seen during a media viewing for the exhibition “The Human Body” in Ostend. The exhibition which runs from June 16 to September 9 showcases dissected real human body specimens that are preserved through an innovative process and respectfully presented, giving visitors the opportunity to view the beauty and complexity of their own organs and systems. (Francois Lenoir/Reuters)

: April 2, 2012: A model mimics a preserved human body on display at an exhibition in Budapest’s Vam Design Center. The exhibition showcases dissected real human body specimens that are preserved through an innovative process and respectfully presented, giving visitors the opportunity to view the beauty and complexity of their own organs and systems. (Laszlo Balogh/Reuters)

: April 2, 2012: A preserved human body is displayed in the VAM Design Center of Budapest during an exhibition of the “Bodies 2.” This unique exhibit is a display of several authentic human specimens, including whole bodies, individual organs and transparent body slices preserved through a special process called plastination. (Attila Kisenedek/AFP/Getty Images)

: April 23, 2012: People with visual disabilities touch bodies during the “Body Worlds” exhibition in Amsterdam. The exhibition offers an exceptional possibility to touch plastinated bodies and organs for people with visual disabilities. (Freek van Asperen/AFP/Getty Images)

: April 23, 2012: People with visual disabilities touch bodies during the “Body Worlds” exhibition in Amsterdam. The exhibition offers an exceptional possibility to touch plastinated bodies and organs for people with visual disabilities. (Freek van Asperen/AFP/Getty Images)

: April 26, 2011: A worker attaches a black cover to the base under a plastinated human corpse with its muscles pulled apart and posed to look like a cyclist in preparation for the “Body Worlds” exhibition in Berlin, Germany. The exhibition, which features human and animal corpses plastinated by Gunther von Hagens, focuses on the role of the heart. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

: March 19, 2010: A plastinated gorilla is seen at for the world premiere of the exhibition “Koerperwelten der Tiere” (Body worlds of the animals) at the zoo in Neunkirchen, where animals plastinated by German “plastinator” Gunther von Hagens are presented. (Torsten Silz/AFP/Getty Images)

: June 21, 2008: Liz Citrin and Sue Lee view the “Body Worlsd 2″exhibit at the Maryland Science Center Summer Solstice gala. (Karen Jackson/Baltimore Sun)

: June 21, 2008: Kevin Utz views “The Ponderer” in the “Body Worlds 2” exhibit at the Maryland Science Center Summer Solstice gala. (Karen Jackson/Baltimore Sun)

: June 5, 2008: Visitors look at a plastinated body standing on one arm on display in the “Body Worlds 2” exhibition at the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore, Maryland. (Doug Kapustin/Baltimore Sun)

: June 19, 2008: Steve Golob of Federal Hill is “Mr. Anatomy” to promote the “Body Worlds 2” exhibition at the Maryland Science Center. The body paint job by make-up artist Jen Seidel-Walsh of Reisterstown took six hours. Rebeccah Blau (L), 7, of Clarksville, and Victoria Benitez (C), 5, of Columbia, watch as Mr. Anatomy poses for them. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)

: June 8, 2008: On her trip to the “Body Worlds 2” exhibit last Thursday, five-year-old Shian Crandall holds her god-sister’s hand while being mesmerized by the skeletal structure of a child also holding hands with an adult specimen. The bodies on display are donated for this purpose and have been transformed and preserved with a process called Plastination. The process halts decomposition and preserves the specimens for scientific and medical education. (Doug Kapustin/Baltimore Sun)

: June 8, 2008: Laurie Klein of Washington, D.C. studies the “Yoga Lady” and the refection provided in the display’s mirror last Thursday at the Maryland Science Center. The bodies on display are donated for this purpose and have been transformed and preserved with a process called Plastination. The process halts decomposition and preserves the specimens for scientific and medical education. (Doug Kapustin/Baltimore Sun)

: June 5, 2008: Thirteen-year-old Bennett Bradley of Timonium ponders a reflection of “The Ponderer” during a visit to the “Body Worlds 2” exhibit at the Maryland Science Center. The bodies on display are donated for this purpose and have been transformed and preserved with a process called Plastination. The process halts decomposition and preserves the specimens for scientific and medical education. (Doug Kapustin/Baltimore Sun)

: June 5, 2008: Since its introduction at the Maryland Science Center last year, the traveling “Body Worlds 2” exhibit has had unprecedented success there. (Doug Kapustin/Baltimore Sun)

: June 5, 2008: A young visitor measures up his arm span with that of human body slices that point out that a person’s wingspan very closely relates to his or her height. The bodies on display are donated for this purpose and have been transformed and preserved with a process called Plastination. The process halts decomposition and preserves the specimens for scientific and medical education. (Doug Kapustin/Baltimore Sun)

: April 2, 2008: Olympic skater Kimmie Meissner takes a tour of the “Body Worlds” 2 exhibit at the Maryland Science Center. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)

: April 1, 2008: The head of a plastinated hurdler at the “Body Worlds” exhibit, the anatomical exhibition of real human bodies by German Gunther von Hagens, known as “The Plastinator,” at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, California. (GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

: April 1, 2008: A plastinated hurdler at the “Body Worlds” exhibit, the anatomical exhibition of real human bodies by German Gunther von Hagens, known as “The Plastinator,” at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, California. (GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

: February 1, 2008: A male body title “The Ponderer” sits on display in the “Body Worlds 2” exhibition at the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore, Maryland. The exhibit features real human bodies that have been preserved through a process known as plastination. (Glenn Fawcett/Baltimore Sun)

: February 1, 2008: A female body flexing backward over a mirrored base sits on display in the “Body Worlds 2” exhibition at the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore, Maryland. The exhibit features real human bodies that have been preserved through a process known as plastination. (Glenn Fawcett/Baltimore Sun)

: February 1, 2008: Dr. Angelina Whalley, managing director for the Institute for Plastination poses with a teen skateboarder in the “Body Worlds 2” exhibition at the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore, Maryland. (Glenn Fawcett/Baltimore Sun)OUT

: February 1, 2008: A body takes an out-stretched pose in the “Body Worlds 2” exhibition at the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore, Maryland. The exhibit features real human bodies that have been preserved through a process known as plastination. (Glenn Fawcett/Baltimore Sun)

: February 1, 2008: A plastinated body titled “The Baseball Player” stands in a corner in the “Body Worlds 2” exhibition at the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore, Maryland. The exhibit features real human bodies that have been preserved through a process known as plastination. (Glenn Fawcett/Baltimore Sun)

: November 16, 2006: A plastified human body specimen speaking on a cell phone is seen on display at the opening of the Plastinarium, run by Bodyworlds artist Gunther von Hagens, in Guben, Germany. Gunther von Hagens, whose exhibitions of human corpses molded into lifelike poses have drawn 20 million visitors worldwide, opens his workshop in the eastern German town of Guben today, spawning hopes of economic revival in a community scarred by years of decline. (Adam Berry/Bloomberg News)

: June 6, 2005: A plastinate specimen at the “Body Worlds” exhibit, the show of plastic-infused bodies, while at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

: July 12, 2002: Gunther von Hagens, creator of the exhibition “Body Worlds,” stands with one of nine new body plastinates at the Atlantis Gallery in east London. The anatomical exhibition of real human bodies is set to become the most visited exhibition in London ever. (Matthew Fearn/AFP Photo)

‘Body Worlds’ draws a record attendance
By Edward Gunts, The Baltimore Sun
August 30, 2008

A lively display of dead bodies that ends its seven-month run at the Maryland Science Center on Monday has smashed local museum attendance records to become the most popular traveling exhibit in Baltimore history, drawing more than 300,000 visitors, including a few who were so impressed they’ve offered to donate their bodies for use in the show.

Gunther von Hagens’ Body Worlds 2: The Original Exhibition of Real Human Bodies, drew 312,258 visitors as of yesterday evening. That was far more than twice the science center’s previous record of 120,000 for a seven-month-long traveling exhibit in 2005 that featured artifacts from the Titanic.

Unlike that exhibit, which benefited from the appeal of the popular movie that preceded it, the Body Worlds show features dissected cadavers posed in various ways to show how the human body works. It has had such a powerful effect on some visitors that they vowed to quit smoking midway through the tour, depositing partly full cigarette packs in a wall-mounted container that has become part of the exhibit.

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Inside our insides: Body exhibits continue international exposure

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