If you’re eating breakfast, you might want to finish up before you read this post.
You may have seen the billboards around the area for Bodies Revealed. It’s a somewhat graphic human form, cut in half, skin pulled away revealing muscles and organs. Kind of invokes the reaction of “Eeewwww…” from most of us.
Well, I put my queasiness aside this weekend and went to check it out. If you have any interest in science, what your innards look like, or how much body weight you’ll lose if your spleen is removed, I would highly suggest you go see it for yourself.
The exhibit is located at the XL Center in Hartford and is sponsored by Hartford 21 and Northland Investment Corporation. It is running until March 23, 2008 and is open every day from 10am to 10pm. Admission ranges from $18 for a child to just over $25 for an adult, with discounts available for seniors. More pricing information can be found here.
The premise of Bodies Revealed is to use real human bodies and body parts to allow us to see and understand our inner workings and various systems. The process of polymer preservation is the fascinating technique that allows the forms in the exhibit to reveal the true intricacy of the human body.
Here are my takeaways and recommendations…
1. My reaction to the exhibit was more “neat” than “gross” or “sad.” There was the thought of “this used to be a real person” when I approached one of the full body specimens, but the person donated their body to science so people could learn. The exhibit was truly fascinating, from both the standpoint of how the body actually looks inside and how they actually preserved the bodies. My main takeaway from the exhibit was how complex my body actually is and that I’m grateful all of my systems are working well and that I am, in general, a healthy individual.
2. I visited on a Saturday around noon and it was quite crowded. It was sometimes hard to see the display cases because there were so many people. If your schedule allows, you might want to visit during “off hours” which are probably weekday evenings.
3. You can buy tickets online, but be warned that Ticketmaster will charge you a $3 surcharge for each ticket. You might just want to buy tickets at the XL Center and avoid the extra charge.
4. Allow at least an hour and a half to get through the exhibit. If you purchase the audio option with your ticket, you might want to allow more time.
5. No cameras, cell phones, strollers, backpacks, etc. You know the drilll. Just turn your cell phone on vibrate and you’ll be fine.
6. Not sure about the age appropriateness. My husband said he would give it a movie rating of PG-13. It’s somewhat graphic, but scientific. I didn’t see too many children when I visited and the ones I did see were probably between 8 and 10. They seemed to think it was “cool” and not scary.
Enjoy the exhibit!