Ever wondered what you can’t see in the mirror? A new exhibit in Branson is able to show you.
Premier Exhibitions opened its doors to BODIES the Exhibition on Treasure Lake Drive on Friday with the intent of educating families living in and visiting the Tri-Lakes Area.
The Branson exhibit is made up of more than 250 specimens of real organs, vessels, nerves, muscles and bones from real, preserved human bodies from the Dalian Medical University in China. Thirteen of those 250 are full-body specimens.
“We pride ourselves on being a family-friendly exhibit, and Branson is known for its family-friendly entertainment. So it just seemed like a good fit,” said BODIES Senior Manager of Public Relations Jonathan Barnes.
The human bodies in the exhibition are preserved through a technique called polymer preservation. In the revolutionary process, human tissue is permanently preserved using liquid silicone rubber that is treated and hardened.
Dr. Ray Glover, chief medical director for BODIES, said the fact the exhibit uses real bodies is an important one.
“Seeing promotes understanding, and understanding promotes the most practical kind of body education possible. The body doesn’t lie,” said a statement from Glover on bodiestheexhibition.com.
One of the most memorable exhibits is in the section of the exhibition devoted to the respiratory system. The display features a set of healthy lungs and a set of lungs from a person who smoked with a four-foot-tall clear plastic drop-box between the two.
“This box will be full of packs of cigarettes in a few months that people will get rid of after seeing the difference between the healthy and diseased lungs,” Barnes said. “(Our) goal is to educate people on how their bodies work and how to take care of them.”
Barnes said of the nearly four million people who have visited BODIES since the first exhibition opened in New York City in 2005, about 250,000 of those have been school-aged children.
“We try to be very kid-friendly,” Barnes said. “We want this to provide an educational opportunity for them that a text book can’t.”
Information courtesy of Branson Daily News