Body Worlds

We went to the Body Worlds exhibit at The Leonardo and it was so interesting! Our bodies are truly incredible. Not only do they have real bodies (click here to read about plastination) but they also have display cases that show actual healthy organs and bones vs. those with cancer, tumors, arthritis, etc. In one of the cases they even had the tiny little bones that are in our inner ear--it was amazing! There was a whole area that talked about the effects of smoking on the body. Then you could commit to stop smoking and drop your commitment paper and your pack of cigarettes into a glass box. There were quite a few inside.

Monday I went to the hospital to be with my grandma while my grandpa had surgery to adjust the peritoneal catheter that he uses for dialysis. (everything went great!) While we were walking around the exhibit I kept thinking about how hard it would be to perform surgery. Things seem so complex once you can see it all. Our guts alone just looked like a big gushy conglomerate of slimy things. Kudos to all of the people who work in the medical profession and are able to make sense of if all in order to prolong lives.

There was also an area that talked all about the heart. It showed the variations in size, and talked about the fact that it is a muscle and needs to be exercised in order to perfom to it's optimum capacity. There was a poster that talked about Lance Armstrong's heart. His resting heart beat is only 33 beats per minute!! Nate and I are definatey motivated to get in better shape.

Overall the exhibit was educational and fascinating--check it out if you get the chance! I think it is showing until January 11th.