Gunther Von Hagens' Body Worlds Vital in Melbourne

This excited me the first time I saw this exhibition being featured on the news. I find it interesting and at the same time educational especially that I work in the healthcare field. The exhibition is called Body Worlds Vital. It is an original exhibition of real human bodies by Gunther Von Hagens, the inventor of Plastination. Usual admission price for an adult is $30 which was a bit expensive for me. But then, they had a promotion for $50 for 2 people and so I dragged my cousin along last 25 October 2018.

Before going in, we were given these tokens. The staff informed us that at the end of this exhibition, we could choose which change we would like to do with our lifestyle.

We also chose to rent an audio for AUD 5 to hear more information about the displays. All we had to do was press the corresponding number and place the speaker near our ears.

At the start of the exhibit, I saw this on the wall. All the exhibits here are from an ethically reviewed Donor Program managed by the Institute of Plastination in Germany. Also, all anatomical specimens on display here are authentic.

The exhibit was divided into bodily systems. The first system discussed was about the muscular system. It showed how the muscles looked like to achieve our bodily movements. 

It also featured about the skeletal system. From my anatomy class before, I've learned that the smallest bones in the body are found in the ear. These are the hammer, anvil and stirrup. But I didn't really realize how tiny they are until I saw it in this exhibit.

photo courtesy of Paolo Ungab

I was particularly impressed on how the nervous system looks like in the entire human body. It is an amazing sight. And just amazing how the messages are sent to the brain in less than a second for the brain to interpret.

Another striking thing I saw was the obvious difference between a normal lung and the black tarry lung of a smoker.

The exhibit also featured video presentations like this which is about cells behaving badly and becoming tumours and cancer. Also, I saw a very interesting and educational video presentation about dementia and how it affects the human brain.

These are the small blood vessels running underneath the skin in our face. No wonder we blush quite easily!

The man behind this exhibition.

At the end of this exhibition and after seeing all the lifestyle changes that we can do to make sure our bodies are kept healthy and strong, we were then asked to drop our token in one of these choices. The choices were sleep more, exercise more, less alcohol, less sugar, stress less, work less, stop smoking and switch off.

There was also a gift shop wherein more educational books and toys where on sale. 

All in all, it was an afternoon well spent and I felt happy I got to see it while they are here in Melbourne. I do hope that they get to visit more cities and spread these awareness to adult and kids.

P.S. Before I released this blog, I was watching a James Bond movie called Casino Royale and just realized that it was featured in the film!Proud to say I've seen the display in real life :)

Thank you for reading and 'til next blog!