The Exhibition
BODIES...THE EXHIBITION, The Science
Inside You, will open in Montreal on October 23 at the Montreal Exhibition
Centre on the 5th floor of the Montreal Eaton Centre. This scientific
exhibition displays whole and partial body specimens that have been
meticulously dissected and preserved through an innovative process.
To date, more than 15 million visitors in
New York, Las Vegas, Washington, London, São Paulo, Barcelona,
Amsterdam, Vienna, Prague and Québec have been astounded by this remarkable
exhibition, which helps us better understand the amazing machine
that is the human body.
The exhibition takes visitors through galleries providing an up-close
look inside the skeletal, muscular, reproductive, respiratory, circulatory
and other systems of the human body. Many of the whole body specimens
are dissected in athletic poses, allowing the visitor to relate to
everyday activities. In addition, authentic human specimens illustrate
the damage caused to organs by over-eating and lack of exercise.
A healthy lung is featured next to a black lung ravaged by smoking
in a vivid comparison more powerful than any text book image. This
exhibition alters the way people see themselves, and ultimately,
makes them consider and adopt a healthier lifestyle. Its purpose
is to inform, empower, fascinate and inspire the visitor.
The bodies have been preserved using a specific
procedure known as ‘plastination’. This revolutionary, yet relatively
simple, technique permanently preserves human tissue using liquid
silicone rubber that is treated and hardened. The bodies are then
carefully prepared by medical professionals. The end result is a
rubberized specimens, preserved to the cellular level, showcasing
the complexity of the body’s many bones, muscles, nerves, blood
vessels and organs. The full-body specimens can take more than a
year to prepare, representing several thousands of hours!
“The educational impact of this exhibition is incommensurable,” affirmed
Dr. Roy Glover, Professor Emeritus of Anatomy and Cell Biology
at the University of Michigan and Chief Medical Director of BODIES
THE EXHIBITION. “For centuries, the medical world has explored
and studied the internal functions of the human body using real
bodies. Today, thanks to this exhibition, the public, too, now
has access to this same in depth knowledge.”
