by Tiffany Capuano
Taking my 6-year-old son by the hand into the
darkened exhibition hall, we had no idea what lie
ahead. He knew it was about bodies, but unsure what
that meant exactly. What we discovered was an
unusual, yet extraordinary, display of the human
body.
The exhibition, which opened in March at the
Atlanta Civic Center, showcases more than 21 whole
body specimens and more than 250 organs and partial
body specimens, giving visitors a glimpse at their
own bodies in ways they’ve never before experienced.
BODIES…The Exhibition runs until September.
These are real bodies – like the cadavers medical
students use – preserved using a special polymer
that permanently prepares the bodies for educational
and scientific study. The bodies are displayed in an
almost artistic fashion, ready to serve a tennis
ball with racket in hand or holding hands with
another. A blend of science and art, this exhibition
is a tour of the building of the human body, fully
dissected and exposed.
What To Expect?
From the skeletal system to the muscular and
nervous systems, the bodies are shown in full
anatomy. Like layers of an onion, the organizers of
BODIES began with the bones, adding a new layer in
each gallery, such as the muscles, nerves or blood
vessels, to help visitors understand how the
components of the body work together.
Laid out in coffin-like fashion, the nervous
system is displayed showing the brain and only the
nerves. Looking like nothing more than an intricate
array of strings and wires, my 6-year-old thought it
was unbelievably cool.
A 13-year-old Forsyth County girl visiting the
exhibition found the same display to be scary.
Looking for an educational outing as part of the Big
Brother/Big Sister program, her Big Sister agreed
that while the exhibition was definitely
educational, it did have “a creepiness factor.”
Creepy or not, visitors are turning out in record
numbers to the Atlanta exhibition.
A visitor sharing details about the muscles in the
arm admits he’s a physician who took apart a cadaver
in college long ago. He, too, was fascinated by the
exhibition.
From teenagers to physicians to those just
interested in finding out what the hype is all
about, BODIES has proven that no matter whether you
find it artistic or scientific, its educational
value is immeasurable.
Should You Go?
If you have a child intrigued by the human body,
this is an exhibition not to be missed. It allows
visitors to look deep and examine parts of the human
body so closely that you could touch it. (There’s no
touching the specimens, however, except at the
designated area.)
Teenagers studying biology say it helps them
understand what they are learning in class. Some
area high school biology classes are already taking
field trips there. A person of any age can attend
BODIES, and on the day of our visit, there were
babies and toddlers in tow, though most seemed
oblivious to their surroundings.
Many families seemed to enjoy what they were
seeing, but the response from the children varied
from those who thought it was cool or boring, weird
or awesome, scary or fun. With so many opinions,
only parents can best decide if their child should
attend.
View from a 6-year-old
“I think it was pretty cool seeing the bodies. I
like seeing the brain,” said my 6-year-old son,
Drew. One of his favorites was actually holding the
brain. He thought it would be soft and “juicy” but
was surprised by how light it was.
Shown in full anatomy, more male bodies were used
throughout the exhibition, which he quickly pointed
out. He easily used the children’s audio tour, but
was more likely to listen when the display showed a
body with a football, basketball or baseball in
hand.
From a Parent’s Perspective
Parents of a pre-teen or teenager should be eager
to give their child an unparalleled lesson in human
anatomy and biology. Having a younger child who is
just beginning to understand human anatomy, this was
still an excellent way to help him learn how the
systems in the human body, like the muscles, bones,
nerves and organs, work together.
We were warned about the fetal development area,
which we could bypass; however, it was one of my
son’s favorites. Seeing how tiny he was at eight
weeks and learning what he may have looked like as a
fetus in the womb was fascinating.
A warning to parents who visit the reproductive
system area: The audio tour will give your child a
brief lesson on sex. Be ready to face questions
about the human anatomy.
The more we talked about the exhibition, the more
we realized how much we learned about the human body
in our 90-minute tour. We told Drew they were real
bodies. Did he fully comprehend that they were real?
At his age, I don’t think so.
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