About the Exhibition

Created by anatomist Dr. Gunther von Hagens, inventor of Plastination science and creator of the trailblazing BODY WORLDS exhibitions, the exhibit features Plastination, a complex technique that removes the fluids from the body and replaces them with plastics that harden.

The specimens on display show impressive comparisons and contrasts between healthy bodies and organs and those stricken with disease. Particular emphasis is put on preventative medicine and some of the most common ailments such as back pain, arthritis, cancer, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases like arteriosclerosis and heart infarctions, dementia, and more.

Highlights of BODY WORLDS RX include:

• Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the United States. Visitors will learn the functioning of the cardiovascular system; explore its dense and long network of arteries and how it can be affected by common diseases.
• Cancer is the second highest cause of death in the United States. Plastinated organs show cancerous tissues and tumor metastases.
• Locomotive system: Learn how a sedentary lifestyle causes effects that are noticeable in our locomotive system. In the exhibition diseases and ailments such as arthritis, back pain and other bone disorders are explained.
• Dementia: 24 million people worldwide suffer from Dementia, 5 Million of which are Americans. It is the 5th leading cause of death in Americans age 65 and older and will be growing dramatically. By 2050, 135 million people are expected to suffer from Dementia. A multi-media installation shows the effects to better understand this disease.
• Smoking and the lungs: It’s well known smoking is unhealthy, but how many have seen it with their own eyes? One look at the blackened smoker’s lungs alongside vibrant healthy lungs provides a dramatic and convincing appeal to anyone who cannot quit smoking.
• Obesity is widespread and continues to be a leading public health problem in the U.S. Almost a quarter of 2-5-year-olds and a third of adolescents are overweight or obese in the U.S. Obesity is impressively revealed in this exhibition through the juxtaposition of body slices of an obese and lean body.