the human animal

Lack of blog yesterday was caused by an educational trip to the local exhibit of Body Worlds. Turns out it was "Body Worlds 3," which did not include the famed horse and rider. There were many other dramatic specimens, such as "Star Warrior", who had been "peeled" in stripes = layer of flesh, then layer down to the bone, flesh, bone etc. The effect was much like a mummy.

I was struck by the cross sections of an obese individual. Not only did this person have flaps of fat hanging down from their body, but their interior organs too were wrapped and surrounded in fat. I'm mixing in more salads.

At first, I was mindful that I was observing an actual, dead person. As I looked over the first specimen, the man holding his own skin, I saw the fuzz of hair on the scalp and thought, "Oh dear - I wonder if anyone can recognize that." By the end, though, I felt much more sanguine (ha ha) about the show. Desensitized, I guess. They were fascinating, folks were generous to donate their bodies, and that was as intense as my feelings got.

Then I saw the camel.

Yes, they had plastinated a two-hump (Bactrian) camel, and a little baby camel right next to it, as an example of a ruminant digestive system. Camels are huge. Camels are as big as a Hum Vee -- no, they're bigger. Did YOU know that?