'Body Worlds and the Brain' Offers Fascinating 'Inside' Look at the Human Body

Rachel Robins and her daughter, Sarah Robins, found a heart-stopping display during a recent visit to the St. Louis Science Center, and it turned into a teachable moment.

Pointing to an authentic human heart, part of the Body Worlds and the Brain exhibition that runs through October 2, Robins discussed how the heart works with Sarah, 11.

"Remember, the heart is a muscle," Robins said. "It only pumps blood, it doesn’t create it. So it needs all these vessels and arteries to work properly."

Looking at an actual human heart, one of more than 200 human specimens in the exhibit, was the perfect teaching tool for Sarah.

"She’s a visual learner," her mother said. "So this gives her some very visual aspects of the human body that are hard to get elsewhere. She wants to be a medical missionary—she wants to be a pediatrician. So this is an amazing educational opportunity for her, to be able to experience this before she goes into pre-med or something."

Sarah and her mom, who live in Godfrey, IL, enjoyed their heart-to-heart talk and the entire exhibit.

"It’s fun," Sarah said.

Nearby, Margaret Boncek, 12, and her mother, Marilyn Boncek, of Philadelphia, admired a display of two figure skaters, posed sans skin to reveal their musculature.

"It’s wonderful. It’s amazing," Marilyn Boncek said.

"I like it because I get to see all the different parts of the body," said Margaret, who wants to be a nurse.

The exhibition was created by Dr. Gunther von Hagens, who also invented the Plastination process that preserves the bodies in the condition they were in when the donors died. The exhibition examines the different aspects of character, creativity and consciousness before taking visitors through the various stages of life—birth and childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age.

"There’s something for everyone to relate to," said the science center's public relations coordinator Maria Totoraitis. "It can be a moving experience for some people."

It also illustrates the various diseases of the body, from cancer and strokes to heart attacks, Alzheimer’s and more, along with how everything that happens to the body is connected to the brain.

"The exhibition’s focus is the brain and how different parts of the body relate to that," Totoraitis said. "It reminds people that your brain is a very important organ that affects everything."

The exhibition features intact bodies in various poses such as swinging a baseball bat, kicking a soccer ball, ice skating and executing a gymnastics move on rings, plus individual body parts that show the intricacies of hands, feet, knees, lungs, brains, hearts and more.

"So it’s certainly not just about the brain," Totoraitis said. "It gives people a one-of-a-kind look at their body."

It would not have been possible without people who donated their bodies specifically for this. There are 12,898 people worldwide who have bequeathed their bodies to the Institute for Plastination, including 1,245 Americans, 17 of whom live in Missouri.

"They want their bodies to be used for learning purposes," Totoraitis said.

Learning is emphasized throughout the exhibition. For instance, the text accompanying a human hand specimen says the human hand has 27 bones controlled by 37 skeletal muscles. The hand has a wide range of movement, exceptionally fine motor function and a powerful gripping action. Hands are intimately associated with the sense of touch and the areas of nerve endings are especially dense in the fingertips.

An ankle and foot specimen, with ligaments, includes the text, "Feet and toes are crucial for walking upright. They bear and distribute body weight when we are walking and running. They also help the body keep its balance. Each foot has 26 bones and over 100 ligaments. Some of the 33 foot muscles actually originate in the lower leg."

A skeleton with ligaments attached, posed sitting cross-legged, is used to describe the function of cartilage and ligaments, and how joints work. "Joints," the text says, "are enclosed by a capsule containing a special lubricating fluid. The joints are held together by ligaments—incredibly tough bands of tissue that are arranged to anticipate the maximum forces likely to be applied to the joint under normal conditions. This is why we can suffer a ligament tear if an unusual force is applied to a joint, such as in a sport or if we fall awkwardly."

The "Sitting Ligament Body," the first intact skeleton visitors see, can elicit some startled reactions.

"Ewww," a young boy said as he spied the skeleton.

As he quickly walked away, Totoraitis said, "We expect families to know what’s appropriate for their children."

Cliff Amsler of St. Charles, a volunteer docent for the exhibition, said: "People have been pretty staid. There’s a lot of questions, especially from the younger kids. Most of the adults pass through and observe, and don’t ask very many questions. But there’s no shock—it’s a kind of amazement—‘How can all that stuff be inside us, and still work?’ I mean, that’s my impression. It’s unbelievable, what our body is like."

While the primary goal of the exhibition is education, a secondary goal is to encourage people to make lifestyle changes by showing them, for instance, the blackened lungs of a cigarette smoker, an artificial knee or a heart with an artificial valve. The lung exhibit is particularly graphic, as it shows healthy lungs that are an off-white color and appear as if they would nicely fill a chest to the smaller, tar black lungs of a smoker and, worse still, the atrophied, jet black lungs of a coal miner, which, ironically, look like lumps of coal.

A display about the brain indicates that adult brains start to shrink after age 25, although lifelong learning is possible and, in fact, helps "exercise" the brain. The brain of someone with Alzheimer’s disease, however, shows significant physical changes and a narrowing of the cortex area. Where a normal, healthy brain is one continuous, solid organ, an Alzheimer’s damaged brain has noticeable fissures or canyon-like gaps among the tissue.

"The Alzheimer’s brain you see, it’s so much more graphic," Totoraitis said.

On a recent weekday, the exhibition had a steady flow of visitors. Vicky Feldhaus of Warrenton, her daughters Jennifer Feldhaus of Jefferson City and Laura Feldhaus of Warrenton, plus their friend Sara Besserman of St. Louis, were admiring the form of a body swinging a baseball bat.

"Laura is an OT (occupational therapy) major—she just got done with anatomy," Vicky Feldhaus said. "She’s telling us about all the different ligaments and muscles."

They saw a similar exhibition at the science center a few years ago, but the addition of the displays and text about the brain have made this more educational, Vicky Feldhaus said.

"Plus, it’s really cool," Besserman added. "I guess that’s the nerd in me."

Member prices for Body Worlds and the Brain are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors 62 and older and students with ID, and $11 for children ages 5 to 18, and free for children under 5. Nonmember prices are $20 for adults, $17 for seniors 62 and older and students with ID, and $13 for children ages 5 to 18. Tickets are available at the science center box office, online at www.slsc.org or by calling 314-289-4424.

Tickets are half-price for members during "Member Mornings," 9:30-11:30 a.m. through October 5. The exhibition is normally open 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. throughout the week. On Fridays and Saturdays, it will stay open until 9 p.m., with a discounted rate off nonmember tickets from 5:30-9 p.m. The discounted ticket prices are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors 62 and older and students with ID and $11 for children ages 5 to 18.

Several special features are associated with the exhibition.

Artist Nights are July 26, Aug. 30 and Sept. 27 from 7-9 p.m. Details below:

• Cost: Free with purchase of ticket to the exhibition. Tickets to exhibition on Artist Nights are $10 for one night or $21 for the remaining three nights. Space is limited, so advance purchase of tickets is recommended.
• Age Group: July 26-families welcome; August 30 and September 27-adults only.

The next free lecture associated with the exhibition is Aug. 17 at 7 p.m. Details below:

ADHD: A Review of Assessment, Diagnosis and Evidence-Based Treatments
An expert on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Dr. Mini Tandon will review the assessment and treatment options for children with ADHD throughout development. Dr. Tandon specializes in the onset of psychiatric disorders in the preschool period, in ADHD and in psychotherapy for preschoolers.

• Cost: Presentation is free, but reservations are recommended due to limited seating. 
• Age Group: Recommended for adults.

Getting There From Wentzville

The St. Louis Science Center is approximately a 45-minute drive from Wentzville.

Take Highway 40 east to the Hampton Avenue exit, turn south (right) on Hampton, then east (left) on Oakland Avenue. The Science Center, 5050 Oakland Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110, is about a half mile down on the right, with a parking lot just beyond the building.