Skeletons, exposed organs and dead bodies are the type of gory attractions you'd expect to find in a Halloween horror house, but right now they are on display for all to see at the Ontario Science Centre.

Body Worlds 2 is a fascinating, yet controversial, exhibition that explores the science and art of the human body, features more than 200 authentic specimens, which includes 25 entire bodies, individual organs and transparent body slices.

In 1977, Dr. Gunther von Hagen developed a new technological process called plastination, which replaces water and lipids in biological tissues with reactive polymers to create a dry, odorless, amazingly durable specimen.

The thought of walking into an exhibit full of dead men, women and children can be very unsettling, but the layout of Body Worlds 2 quickly loosens these fears and replaces them with knowledge and amazement.

Body Worlds 2 gradually introduces you to the human body by displaying real bones in glass boxes. Bones not unlike the ones you would find on a skeleton in your high school biology classroom that are usually sporting a decorative hat. Bones with arthritis, an infused artificial hip and a deformed spine are presented in a way that showcase the vulnerability of our human structure.

The first plastinated specimens you see are leg muscles, still under glass to conserve the arms-length appeal, which look so rubbery you would think they were manufactured imposters.

“It looks like rib meat,” a woman said to her friend. “Yeah, spare ribs.”

Gradually, as you walk past transparent body slices (1/4 inch thick cross sections of an entire human body, which look to be preserved in amber) and perfectly conserved brains, you realize how complex the body is and not how creepy it is to be looking at real body parts.

The first fully preserved body on display is called “Man at Leisure,” which showcases the autonomic nervous system by freezing the specimen with his arms up in the air. The body's face still has skin, lips, eyes and eyebrows, which adds to the realness of the body and makes you feel as if you are peaking into a strangers private life.

After a few examinations of the other bodies that are positioned sitting down, ski jumping and throwing a javelin, you begin to think about the mechanics behind the plastination process. Because of its upside down position, the “Skateboarder,” which is balanced solidly in a hand plant with just one arm supporting its entire weight, is the best example of how hard these bodies become after the plastination process.

The bodies leave nothing to your imagination. Everything is exposed, from the tube-like maze that make up the intestines to the black smokers lung, which makes you regret the first cigarette you had in eighth grade and leaves you wondering what colour your own lungs have turned over the years.

The one series of bodies that might leave your stomach woozy and your morals stretched to the limits is in a room to itself, so the young or weak-hearted can be spared. This specific exhibit shows the early stages of an unborn fetus, from a four week-old organism to a five-month pregnant female body with an exposed uterus. Although the development is fascinating, it will simultaneously break your heart.


One of the biggest displays is a camel that stands alone in the middle of the atrium, with its side exposed so you can view the complexity of the species digestive system. A colt, as well as a duck dressed only in vibrant red blood vessels, are also on display to show the diversity of the inner workings of all species.

One of the only times art overshadowed the scientific integrity of the human body was with “The Drawer Man.” You can clearly see square sections of the body that have been extracted away from the cadaver, like an opened drawer, reminiscent of Salvador Dali's painting ‘Burning Giraffe.'

A sense of closure ends the exhibit with a male and female figure skating duo in the “death spiral” position. The frozen couple symbolize the perfect balance between art and science and how our bodies work both as independent entities and together in a functioning society.

All of the displayed bodies have been voluntarily donated to the project for educational purposes. There is even a booth at the end of the exhibit where volunteers can donate their remains to be plastinated and put on display. Body Worlds 2 is on display at the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto until February 26, 2006.