Exhibition lets viewers take a look inside

May 31, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

By JOHN BENSON

For most of us, anatomy is a class we never took in college. Seemingly, our knowledge of the human body probably comes from watching a lot of “CSI.”

With the latter thought in mind, new traveling exhibit “BODIES … The Exhibition,” which opens Saturday in downtown Cleveland on the corner of Euclid Avenue and East 4th Street, exposes the human body like never before for the masses with the notion that the crime scene is actually internal.

In fact, the use of real, three-dimensional human bodies — meticulously dissected and preserved — to show off the effects of alcohol, diseases and overeating is not too far removed from a scared-straight program where troubled juveniles tour a prison and see firsthand where their actions can lead them.

“There is some of that element in that because when you see a diseased lung, it doesn’t look good,” said “BODIES … The Exhibition” National Medical Director Dr. Roy Glover, 69, a Cleveland native and graduate of Ohio State University. “And in fact, children when they come to our exhibit will point at it and say, ‘Eww, that looks horrible.’ Of course the reason it looks horrible is because of the tar in cigarette smoke. Over a long period of time, it damages the lung irreparably and makes it very inefficient in terms of its function oxygenating the blood.

“So we do point out that we have a healthy set of lungs and a diseased set of lungs sitting side by side. We ask the kids, ‘Which would you like your lungs to look like?’ Isn’t it interesting that 100 percent of them choose the healthy set of lungs? And we say to them, ‘Your lungs can look like that if you want them to; just don’t smoke.’ Kids are smart; they get the message, especially if they have a parent or a friend who smokes. The pressure begins immediately because they realize the consequences of smoking behavior is very, very detrimental to their bodies.”

First created in 2004 under the guidance of Dr. Glover, who taught anatomy for more than 30 years at the University of Michigan Medical School, “BODIES … The Exhibition” includes more than 250 human specimens, 12 full-body specimens, organs, dissected limbs and body segments, which all together allow visitors an up-close look inside the skeletal, muscular, reproductive, respiratory, circulatory and other systems of the human body.

The whole-body specimens are preserved through a revolutionary technique called polymer preservation, where human tissue is permanently preserved using liquid silicone rubber that is treated and hardened. The end result is a rubberized specimen, preserved to the cellular level, showcasing the complexity of the body’s many bones, muscles, nerves, blood vessels and organs. Perhaps reading this may leave some readers wondering if there is a gross-out factor, but Dr. Glover suggests otherwise.

“People are a bit anxious because their only experience with seeing human bodies are not in the most pleasant conditions,” Dr. Glover said. “They’ve all known people who have died and have gone to see their bodies, and the bodies in our exhibit don’t look anything like that. Or they’ve seen a Hollywood movie where the gore is highlighted, and our bodies don’t look anything like that. I guarantee they’ll be very comfortable visiting the exhibit.”

Of all the emotions and thoughts that visitors experience when walking through “BODIES … The Exhibition,” Glover said the message is simple.

“We live in our bodies for our entire life, and we’re responsible for the body we live in,” Dr. Glover said. “What’s more important than learning as much about it as possible so we can take better care of It? The biggest misconception is that when you damage your body, it will automatically heal itself. Like when you quit smoking, your lung will automatically assume a more healthy appearance. It just won’t get any worse. The idea you can repair things miraculously by stopping some sort of abusive behavior is not 100 percent true. So the best thing to do is to start involving yourself in that good behavior very early on, and your body will be healthier and stronger because of it.”