Body Worlds Exhibit

My husband is currently on a temporary duty in Anchorage, Alaska. I went to visit him a couple of weeks ago and he took me to see the Body Worlds exhibit at the Anchorage Museum.

My goal in college is to complete my Bachelor’s degree in Nursing and become a Registered Nurse. The human body has always fascinated me. In my Anatomy & Physiology courses that I took, we dissected two cats. Although it was interesting to see how a cat worked, I have always wanted to see what the parts of a human look like inside. I wanted to see the size and complex way it all works together. So when I got to Alaska and saw that the Body Worlds exhibit was in town I had to go!

When we arrived we traveled to the third floor and handed a woman our tickets. As we stepped inside the room I was amazed. There were at least 15 human bodies on display, all in different poses. There was an opera singer, a runner, a gymnast, two flamenco dancers and a few standing bodies.

The runner was one of the most interesting ones. He was in the position like he was running and his muscles had been cut off of one attachment point on both legs, arms, shoulders and hands to show what it looked like underneath and to illustrate how many muscles we have in those corresponding places. 

There were clear display boxes sporadically placed throughout the exhibit that contained thin slices of different body parts to show what the view looks like from either the bottom or the top (transverse cuts) of the body. There were also different organs from the body in the display boxes. I was able to see a heart, brain, lungs and stomach. There was one display in particular that amazed me the most, the arteries. I couldn’t imagine how much time it took to separate those arteries and veins from the human body in order to put it on display. It was incredible to see how many there actually are in our bodies.

This specific exhibit at the Anchorage Museum did not have any animals or fetuses, but I have talked to a few of my friends who have gone and they have seen them. So it all depends on which city or country you are in and you go see it.

The entire experience was one I will never forget. If the Body Worlds exhibit ever comes to a city I am near again, I will go for sure. I highly recommend it to anyone; it is educational and very interesting.

Tanya Moulding