Wisconsin School for the Deaf - The Wisconsin Times Vol. 135 No. 4 Summer 2014 | Page 11

Body World
Any middle school or high school student enrolled in a science class was eligible to attend a field trip to the
Milwaukee Public Museum on Thursday, April 24, 2014. Science teacher, Mrs. Martha Muller took a bus full of
students, teachers, educational assistants, and interpreters to Milwaukee.
Besides the usual museum exhibits, the circulating exhibit called Body Worlds and the Cycle of Life was the
highlight. Several years ago, WSD was able to go to Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry when this
exhibit was brand new. Since then, some of the exhibit has changed, but not the marvel of it is timeless. More
than 200 plastinates show the human body in all stages of life. Dr. Gunther von Hagens, who created the
process of preserving the body, is both a physician and anatomist.
Students were able to view bodies of small children, adults, and the elderly. Both healthy and distressed bodies
were used. The exhibit showed and compared specific parts of a body to educational purposes, such as a healthy
lung and a cancerous lung, a healthy liver and a liver with psoriasis. In addition, students were able to view
the three smallest bones in the human body, all within the ear: the hammer (malleus), anvil (incus) and stirrups
(stapes).
One striking body on display was a vertical cross section. Students could see the hair and skin on the body, as
well as the muscles, tendons and ligaments. Signs on display stated that it takes a year of processing a body
before it can be used in the exhibit. Scien ѥ