On October 7, 2005, The Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia opens Dr. Gunther von Hagens' BODY WORLDS: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies, an exhibition that has been viewed by more than 17 million people worldwide. In this 22,000 square foot exhibition (five galleries inside the museum), guests learn about anatomy, physiology, and health by viewing real human bodies that have been preserved through a process known as Plastination.
After presentations in Los Angeles and Chicago, Philadelphia is the only city on the East Coast where the exhibit is scheduled. BODY WORLDS is open to the public through April 23, 2006.
The exhibition features more than 200 authentic human specimens, including entire bodies as well as individual organs and transparent body slices. Using the revolutionary process of Plastination, the body specimens are preserved with special plastics that enable us to view the many organs and systems under our skin. The exhibit also allows for guests to understand diseases, the effects of tobacco consumption and use of artificial supports such as knees and hips.
Invented by Dr. Gunther von Hagens in 1977, the plastination process replaces the natural fluids in the specimen with liquid reactive plastics that are hardened and cured with gas, light or heat depending on the polymer used. Before hardening the plastic in the specimens, the plastinates are fixed into lifelike poses, illustrating how our bodies internally respond to everyday movements and activities.
This unique process also provides the flexibility and strength needed to display and preserve the specimens in their true-to-life form, without the use of glass barriers and formaldehyde.
Approximately 25 whole bodies, referred to in the exhibit as "plastinates," reveal the true-to-life spatial relationships among organs. Some plastinates are authentically posed playing soccer or basketball, pondering a chess move, swimming and running, allowing visitors to comprehend the interconnectedness of the muscle, organ and vascular systems and view them in various positions.
The Teacher - Photo - The nervous system is shown in precise detail. Most of the muscles have been removed, and a number of "windows" have been cut into the bones in order to display numerous nerve pathways.
The Smoker - The skeletal system is revealed on the left side of the body and on the right, so that guests can view the muscular system. Combined, these two systems form the locomotive system. The smoker's blackened lungs can be seen through the spaces between the ribs.
Rearing Horse with Rider - Photo - Although there are major differences in proportion, guests can discover the similar anatomical arrangement between horse and man in the form, position and microscopic structures of their organs and muscles.
The Jumping Dancer - Photo - While jumping up with all extremities stretched in front of the body, the back of the trunk has been opened downwards. Lowest is the brain, which in turn rests on the occipital bone.
Organ Man - The gastrointestinal tract and liver are shifted so that visitors can clearly see all the organs. The lower part of the liver displays several cancerous growths, and the gallbladder is filled with gallstones. At back, the vertebral column and the spinal cord are visible along the plastinate's middle axis.
During the run of BODY WORLDS, The Human Body will be showing at The Franklin Institute's Tuttleman IMAX® Theater. Combining innovative filmmaking techniques with advanced scientific imaging, The Human Body lets us look in microscopic detail at the daily biological processes that go on without our control and often without our knowledge. Viewers can follow a tomato on its journey to the stomach, paddle underwater with infants whose mysterious diving reflex allows them to comfortably "swim," and accompany a red blood cell into the pumping chamber of the body's engine room - the heart.
BODY WORLDS will be open to the public from October 7, 2005 to April 23, 2006. Daytime and evening timed admission tickets are available. From 9:30 a.m. through 5:00 p.m, tickets (ages 12 & up) are $24.75; seniors (62+), and students and military personnel with identification are $21.50; children (4-11) are $16.75. Advance reservations are strongly advised. Daytime tickets include admission to the museum exhibits. Audio guides are $4 per adult and $3 per child. The Human Body IMAX is an additional $5 for daytime and evening admissions.
Timed BODY WORLDS tickets are also available from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m, and are (ages 12 & up) $14.75; seniors (62+), and students and military personnel with identification are $12.75; children (4-11) are $10.50. Audio guides are $4 per adult and $3 per child. Evening tickets include admission to BODY WORLDS only, and if purchased, admission to the IMAX. The last timeslot for admission is 8:00 pm.
Photography and filming are not allowed in BODY WORLDS
- For Individual Tickets call: 1.877.801.BODY
- For Group Tickets call: 215.389.9543
- For School Group Tickets call: 1.800.285.0684
- For Member Tickets: 215.448.1231
- Or visit: www.fi.edu/bodyworlds