Myth of the Human Body Exhibit

Agenda: Renew our licenses and see the Myth of the Human Body Exhibit at Taguig City.

     We met at around 11am at PRC, had our pictures taken, paid 450php then got our claim stubs. The whole process took us about an hour to finish. Not bad! Hehe! :)


     Grabbed a bite before going to the exhibit. We took an FX to MRT Quezon Avenue, MRT to Guadalupe Station and then a jeep to Bayani Road which costs 13php. Whew!

 Neobabylon Building at Bayani Road

Explore your Body with the gods and goddesses ^_^

     Tickets to the exhibit cost 350/head. Cameras are not allowed inside the hall (Bad for trigger happy persons like us!) Taking of pictures are only allowed in the entrance and after the tour itself. 

 The Ticket Booth :)

 Two tickets for 700php :D

     The exhibit uses real cadavers (yes! they are real, mostly Chinese.. freaky eh?) as what our tour guides told us. We had a tour guide all to ourselves (not bad again! hehe! :D) but we failed to get their names. We opted to have a private tour.. Hihi! :p

 First stop: Picture Taking at the Entrance :)

     They told us that the cadavers underwent a process called Plastination, developed by a German Anatomist, Gunther von Hagens.

     The plastination process: (from Wikipedia)

"There are four steps in the standard process of plastination: fixation, dehydration, forced impregnation in a vacuum, and hardening. Water and lipid tissues are replaced by curable polymers. Curable polymers used by plastination include silicone, epoxy and polyester-copolymer.

The first step of plastination is fixation. This simply means that the body is embalmed, usually in a formaldehyde solution, in order to halt decomposition.

After any necessary dissections take place, the specimen is then placed in a bath of acetone. Under freezing conditions, the acetone draws out all the water and replaces it inside the cells.

In the third step, the specimen is then placed in a bath of liquid polymer, such as silicone rubber, polyester or epoxy resin. By creating a vacuum, the acetone is made to boil at a low temperature. As the acetone vaporizes and leaves the cells, it draws the liquid polymer in behind it, leaving a cell filled with liquid plastic.

The plastic must then be cured with gas, heat, or ultraviolet light, in order to harden it.

A specimen can be anything from a full human body to a small piece of an animal organ, and they are known as 'plastinates'. Once plastinated, specimens and bodies can be manipulated and positioned."

     The exhibit presents a re-composition of the human body and its systems by associating them with the god's super bodies and character. It's like a detailed anatomy of the human body that we only saw in our Nursing books. Amazing! 

Too bad Experience Hall is not available :(

     The exhibit is divided into 7 parts according to body systems. Each hall is named after a Greek deity, hence the name of the exhibit:
 
1. HERACLES (Hercules in Roman Mythology)
     Possessing exceptional strength and power, symbolizes the muscular and the skeletal systems that support the human body.

2. POSEIDON 
     God of the seas, the only god that can breath under water, symbolizes the respiratory system.

3. DIONYSUS 
     God of wine and abundance, symbolizes the digestive system.
 
4. EROS  
     God of love, symbolizes the reproductive system.

5. HADES

     God of the underworld, symbolizes the circulatory system of the heart which performs the endless regression of our body.

6. ZEUS  
     Ruler of the gods, symbolizes the brain and the nervous system (as the brain rule our body)

7. ARTEMIS  
     Goddess of birth and fertility, symbolizes the cycle of birth, the reproductive system.

Note: We do not own the following pictures. Credits to the owner. :)

 

The Basketball and Soccer Player

 Woman Holding Organs

 The Skin Man

     We were awestruck with some of the specimens like the Red Man, a network of blood vessels of the whole body! We can't imagine how they could have harvested and made it into what it was, seeing as they were too fragile and intricate.


     We were fascinated with their video presentation showcasing how a human is conceived at a cellular level (parang sa House na series lang!). Truly, it was one of God's greatest gift to man. It makes you appreciate life more!


     Another set of specimen that amazed us was the fetus shown from 10 weeks to 10 months or post term. One specimen was like about an inch long! How they could have gotten or prepared it is kind of mind boggling.

     And lastly, the Photo Zone, where we can take our pictures. FINALLY!

With the Standee ^_^

and the Big Tarpaulin :)

     The whole experience was interesting and mind-blowing! (somewhat creepy though, knowing that they were real living men once)

Address: Neobabylon Building, 9 Bayani Road, AFPOVAI, Taguig City
Operating Hours: Monday-Sunday 10:30 AM - 8:30 PM
Exhibit Date: October 15, 2010 - April 17, 2011