Inside Out

Veins, arteries, muscles and all sorts of other mysterious and squishy elements are constantly squirming around beneath your skin every day. Most of us never stop to think how they function or how the subdermal landscape might look without our pretty skin to keep it all nice and safe inside...

By John Freeman

December 14, 2006

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Veins, arteries, muscles and all sorts of other mysterious and squishy elements are constantly squirming around beneath your skin every day. Most of us never stop to think how they function or how the subdermal landscape might look without our pretty skin to keep it all nice and safe inside. Gunther von Hagens, however, not only wondered about it, he did something about it. His pioneering process of plastination, which replaces bodily fluids with a polymer to preserve the human body after death, has enabled the curious to see what lurks beneath our skin. The BODY WORLDS exhibit has toured the world for the last few years in various forms to critical acclaim and consumer amazement. The exhibit even makes a cameo in the new James Bond film. I saw a show similar to BODY WORLDS when it made a stop in New York and it was truly a one-of-a-kind experience. While the exposed innards of a fellow human being (and a horse or two) may at first be a bit much to stomach, one is finally sucked into the magic, awestuck by the elaborate workings of our bodies. See BODY WORLDS at the Museum of Nature and Science in Fair Park through May 28. Tickets are $21.50, with discounts for students, children and seniors. Call 1-877-615-4891 or visit natureandscience.org.
Dec. 9-May 28

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