Has anyone checked out Bodies: Revealed over on Alta Arden?
I saw this exhibit earlier this year in a different city, and it’s a must for anyone in the medical field (or for those of us who feel we’ve missed our calling. Any other fans of the Mutter Museum at The College of Physicians of Philadelphia out there?)
The bodies are presented respectfully, and they give a close-up view of muscles, nerves, organs, bones, the circulatory system, what certain diseases look like, and a multitude of other fascinating facets of anatomy. It’s amazing how well engineered we are. I was with a fellow runner, so she and I were pointing out the different things that have ailed us over the years, most notably the piriformis muscle, patellar tendon, and iliotibial band.
The Sacramento exhibit is just one of many exhibitions of actual cadavers that have been preserved and dissected — all bodies used were donated to science. Check it out, 10am-10pm daily, through March 2008.
Group discounts are available, so here’s a chance for sacrag meet-up, and we can truly see that we’re really all the same inside.
The Sac Rag 
there is a lot of controversy surrounding these shows…being that there are many of them. the controversy is centered around where the bodies actually came from and how they are being used.
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You’re right — here’s an article about it:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5637687
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The website for the company staging this local exhibition says a human body must be obtained through a legal, willed body donation program.
Some other companies use bodies of people who had no next of kin to claim the deceased.
To me, it’s more educational than what you could find in a copy of Gray’s Anatomy since you get a close-up look of how all of our parts fit together.
You can see what different diseases look like, and I can say with certainty that it will make you want to treat your body a little better.
A lot of kids could benefit from seeing this, not only from a health and wellness perspective, but it may possibly interest them in pursuing higher education and careers in the sciences.
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I keep picturing that in the middle of this whole exhibit is a life sized game of “Operation.” But, I guess that might be a little creepy to do on an actual human. (Especially if they made the body’s nose light up.)
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Hi. Longtime listener, first time caller.
I went to this exhibit in NYC a couple of years ago and was surprised to find out that it was coming to Sacramento. I plan on taking my husband and niece to see it, but I was wondering, is it very crowded? In NYC, there was often over an hour long wait to get inside. But I don’t see crowds outside the CompUSA building, when I pass by. Does anyone know if there is a line to get in? Or is it crowded at all? Or is anybody going to this thing? I wonder if many people even know about it.
Does anyone know if we should try to go at a certain time, or if it will matter?
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Hi Margaret,
Congratulations on making the transformation from lurker to commenter!
Some friends of mine went mid-week, and they reported that there were a lot of people there, but it wasn’t so crowded that they couldn’t read the displays or see things up close.
They did note, however, that if you’re going to get the audio listening device thingie that one is sufficient because you can turn it up quite loudly, but reading the displays is almost as informative, and you can go at your own pace.
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We went on Sat. morn and it was not too crowded. We had plenty of room to look around at a leisurely pace and enjoy everything there was to take in. The lay out is phenomenal and really builds well, keeping everything layered so it really made a lot of sense.
As a side note Sac Eats, in the gift shop they sold “Operation”. Apparently great minds…
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