The National Taiwan Science Education Center located in Taipei's Shihlin District is hosting "Body Worlds: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies" April 21-Oct. 24. As its name suggests, the show consists of 25 real human bodies and over 200 human organs on display to the public. Even before it opened, the exhibition aroused heated discussion in Taiwan. Many expressed revulsion at the idea, calling the exhibit morbid, while others were excited about the chance to view something they would likely never get to see again in their lives. Tickets cost US$8.46 for adults and US$6.04 for children.

Before arriving in Taipei, the bodies went on a tour that took them to 24 cities in Europe and Asia. More than 14 million people have viewed them, said organizers of the display. They claimed that the exhibition has prompted many visitors to pay closer attention to their own health and changed their previous views on organ donation. Some visitors signed an organ-donation agreement right after viewing the exhibition, organizers said, adding that they have met their goal of educating people on anatomy and physical health.

The exhibition was first held in Tokyo in 1995. According to a press release issued by the organizers of the show, 80 percent of people who saw the Body Worlds exhibition have a more complete understanding of human anatomy, 54 percent became more concerned about their health, 30 percent cut down on their smoking and drinking, 33 percent started dieting and 25 percent started exercising.

The cadavers are treated with a "plastination" technique invented in 1977 by German professor Gunther von Hagens, who works out of laboratories in Kyrgyzstan and China. The invention launched an anatomical revolution and triggered controversy around the world. According to organizers, plastination renders human corpses odorless and even touchable. It is an impregnation technique where tissues are completely saturated with special resins in a vacuum. Not only does plastination facilitate the permanent preservation of the specimen, it also allows entirely new forms of anatomical display, since the plastics lend a high degree of rigidity to the tissues. Entire bodies can now be displayed in upright, life-like poses. Even isolated anatomical structures can be exhibited in hitherto unseen ways.

At an April 20 press conference in Taipei, von Hagens used a slide projector to give the press corps an introductory course in the history of anatomy in the West and explain his personal vision of the human body. He said he has left instructions that after his death his body would be made into a work of plastination and posed as an anatomist dissecting a plastinized specimen from his father.

In addition to dead people, the display includes plastinated horses, rabbits, roosters and camels. The 25 human corpses on display include a ski jumper, an athlete throwing a javelin, a pregnant woman with her stomach opened revealing a seven-month-old fetus, and a chess player pondering his next move with his brain and nerves exposed. Every specimen fires the imagination. Visitors learn that every body is unique.

Not only is every human distinctive in outward appearance, but we are all different on the inside as well. The subtly different size and arrangement of a person's organs determines his appearance. The exhibit juxtaposes healthy and diseased brains, lungs, hearts, limbs, livers, kidneys and bones for comparison. Not only are some of the organs presented as slices, but entire human specimens have been sliced from head to toe and preserved for display.

The body posed as a ski jumper in mid-flight, for example, is one such bifurcated corpse, revealing the organs inside the body cavity. The small intestine has been removed, but the right-side large intestine is intact, clearly showing the cecum and appendix. The muscles of the forearm are partly folded to one side, while those of the lower leg are folded back.

The exhibition is divided into several parts focusing on such anatomical specialties as the respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive and nervous systems. Visitors to the museum are ushered along a route that leads them from one system to the next. Before entering the exhibition hall, a film helps prepare people for what they are about to see and encourages them to decide whether or not they want to continue. Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

People interested in learning more about body parts can go to the third floor of the National Taiwan Science Education Center, according to the head of the center, Ke Cheng-feng.

Established in 1956 in Jhongjheng District, the National Taiwan Science Education Center moved to its current location last year. The third floor houses exhibits called "Mystery of Human Body" and "Mystery of Life." Each includes films and games to help visitors learn about anatomical science. Among the games, people can try to guess what human beings will look like in the future after learning about human evolution. The human body is presented in five discrete sections: the endocrine, cardiovascular, urinary, respiratory, and digestive systems. According to Ke, all the exhibits at the center, including Body Worlds, are dedicated to education--especially such universal educational values such as knowledge of the human body. College medical students and teachers have been invited to serve as tour guides at the Body Worlds show.

Some Taiwanese visitors with strong religious beliefs said the show had an impact on their conception of life and death. For some supporters of organ donation, the exhibit has caused them to examine their commitment to helping others after their death, thus making it more meaningful.

http://publish.gio.gov.tw/FCJ/current/04043051.html