London’s New Body Shop

One of the exhibits, the astonishing ‘Organ Man’ has been created by dissecting a human body into two halves and expanding it sideways so that each and every organ can be clearly viewed. One can also see the longitudinally exploded view of the human body, a corpse stretched up to show a cascading arrangement of human organs.

You can see the difference in a smoker’s black lung and a non-smoker’s pale white lung. And what is most interesting is to see the human embryo in various developmental stages. Sprouting of fingers in a little white lump that is destined to become a human being is one of the most extraordinary views one comes back with.

What makes ‘Body World’ unique is the imaginative display of human endeavours and its impact on the human body. One can see what happens to the organs of a pole vaulter when he reaches the bar, how a sprinter, a basketball player and a horse rider stretch and expand their limbs and muscles. Von Hagens has conjured up the beauty of posture, the dynamics of momentum and a very imaginative re-arrangement of human organs.

That’s where biology and anatomy make way for extraordinary art, not seen since the days of Leonardo da Vinci. ‘‘I see myself in the tradition of artists and scientists of the Renaissance, like Leonardo and Vesalius and Durer,’’ explains Von Hagens. ‘‘They embodied the last time when art and anatomical science were indistinct and beauty beneath the skin was celebrated,’’ he says.

Of course, Von Hagens’ actions and intentions have been constantly questioned. ‘‘Is this art?’’ ask art critics incredulously. High-tech conservation of corpses, they argue, cannot be called art. But Von Hagens is unconcerned, or rather relishes the controversy. He defines his work as the aesthetic and instructive presentation of the body interior.

Neither is the scientist community pleased with Von Hagens. The German Association of Anatomists described the show as ‘‘perverse’’ and ‘‘a puppet show.’’ Church leaders in the past have condemned it as ‘‘tasteless, immoral, and voyeuristic.’’ One of them described the exhibition as an ‘‘illegal cemetery’’ and many wanted to put flowers to please the disturbed souls of dead men.

Women’s groups find it particularly offensive because the exhibits included a pregnant woman with a womb cut up to show a full grown baby inside it. In fact, after its first show in Mannheim in Germany in 1997, there was a heated debate in the German Parliament, where many MPs condemned ‘Body Worlds’ as ‘‘degrading to human dignity.’’

Mankind’s love for a look inside the human body is not new. It goes back to 4000 BC. The first human dissections took place at the medical school of Alexandria in Egypt. The ancient Egyptians were an advanced society to combine medical science and supernatural treatments. In India, the ancient surgeon Sushrut published a detailed treatise prescribing many surgical practices, a knowledge that could not have been gained without intensive anatomical study. In the 2nd century AD, the Greek doctor Claude Galen dissected animals, particularly pigs. His observations dominated the medical world for next 1300 years. In Italy, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) produced the most realistic anatomical sketches of the dissected human body.

It was anatomist Andre Vesalius (1514-1564) who revolutionised knowledge of the interior of the human body. He is considered the father of the modern scientific anatomy. He worked out how the bones fitted together. In one respect, he left Von Hagens well behind. He was the first to make an exhibition of the interior of the human body. He used to conduct the ‘Anatomical Theatre’ by performing open autopsies amidst hundreds of onlookers. But it was the famous 19th century Russian anatomist Nikolas Pirogoff who succeeded in slicing through the human body. He made 213 drawings to offer a comprehensive picture of the body’s interior, including one of a pregnant woman.

Prof von Hagens has been accused of illegally importing dead bodies from Russia. He denies the charge and runs an elaborate programme of body donation. And there is no dearth of donors. Meet Susanne Wissler of Mannheim, Germany: ‘‘Knowing that that my body has been disposed of sensibly, in this way, is a nice thought, nicer than the thought of rotting away and being eaten by worms.’’ Another German, Volke Rosenkranz, wrote to Von Hagens, ‘‘It’s got to be more fun than being buried. And it’s cheaper.’’

Despite criticism, human interest has not diminished in Von Hagens’ seemingly terrible occupation of cutting and chopping human bodies. A lot of us would not mind winking at a roadside animal carcass being shredded and devoured by vultures. More than 10 million people have already visited the exhibition on its tours through Germany, Japan, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium. In London alone half a million visitors, including 300 school groups, have seen the exhibition.