The Bodies Exhibition: A Look Inside 

It’s an anatomy text book come to life at “BODIES…The Exhibition” on display at the Cincinnati Museum Center. Head to toe and everything in between, inside and out, is featured in the exhibit which has brought both praise and controversy for its use of real human bodies.     

Fascination is tempered by apprehension; this show is definitely not for the queasy. These are real bodies, flensed of skin, and actual internal organs on display. Bodies, unclaimed after death or donated now live on in the name of science and education. Preservation methods rubberize the bodies and result in a dry and odorless specimen.

The exhibit is presented in a clean, professional manner that most stomachs won’t even suffer through any tremors. This makes it hard to believe that these are the actual insides of a human.

The tour begins with the skeletal system where, rather than the plastic high school science class skeleton, there is a real bone structure. Enclosed in a glass case are bones of the foot (tarsals, metatarsals and phlanges) and hand (carpals, metacarpals and phlanges) which are designed much more intricately than they appear to be. The exhibit also points out that the biggest bone in the human body is in the buttocks (the pelvis). Even without any skin, we still have big butts. Other areas of the exhibit focus on the muscular, nervous, circulatory, digestive, respiratory, urinary and reproductive systems.

One room highlights the thousands of intricate blood vessels located throughout our body, dyed red in a series of display cases containing different organs. The damages from smoking are shown with a charred pair of lungs compared to a healthy pink set, followed immediately by a large container for the visitors to dispose of their cigarettes.

Some of the bodies were arranged to be performing certain activities, such as playing basketball or running, to show the arrangement of muscles and tendons. One body was split along all three dimensions to show all sides of the internal organs. Other cases display all the nerve endings and the human intestines, stretched full length, and explains the journey of food.

The most unnerving part may be the pre natal section, which can be bypassed, if desired. It contains miscarried fetuses at each stage of development from conception to almost full term. Pictures seen in a book can’t compare to seeing a life lost at nine weeks, with features already developed.

The final portion of the tour deals with body treatment which features a display of what doctor’s see when they perform an MRI and a body with several metal replacements such as scull screwed together and a steel knee.

Containing a total of about 20 bodies and approximately 200 additional organs and specimens, it is an in-depth look beneath the skin. From the pituitary gland to the heart, from a gall stone to the testes, there is nothing kept hidden. Parts often heard about but never seen, like the thyroid and pituitary glands, are on display. So many lives are touched by cancer and few have ever seen a malignant tumor; now they can.

There are many differences among the human race but one thing we all have in common is the inner workings of our body, and the Bodies Exhibition is a perfect way to be educated. The bodies are respectfully presented and nowhere else will what lies beneath our skins be presented in a more acceptable manner.

Due to the popularity of the exhibit, expect a crowd. Traffic will be heavy around others who are also patiently wait to see everything. Most of the displays are equipped with two signs with the same information to help eliminate crowding.  Allow an hour and half to two hours to complete the tour at a moderate pace.

The Cincinnati Museum Center is located at 1301 Western Avenue, prices for the Bodies Exhibition are $23 for adults, $15 for children and $19 for Senior Citizens. For an additional $5, an audio tour is available. The exhibit will run through September.

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