The preservation of bodies is one primary way in which we
study human anatomy. Skulls and skeletons fill museums, displaying bodies from
all over our country from historical eras in time. With this evidence, we can
see how evolution has changed the shape, size etc of our bodies; these remains
can also determine how old a person is, their gender and many other factors.
This not only tells us about the individuals, but also about how people lived
within that particular period in time.
With burials being a popular way of putting the body to
rest, once a person has passed on in Britain; the way in which other cultures
preserve their dead further informs us about human anatomy. For example; in
Ancient Egypt, mummification was the way, the more prestigious members of
society, were preserved. With the careful removal and preservation of a
person’s vital organs; which were kept separately in ornamental jars, this
allows us to study more of the human body from the past. As the entire body is
mummified, this keeps the body perfectly preserved and enables further
examination, to see how humans of the past compare to our present day bodies;
this cannot be done with the traditional burials of British bodies, as the
organs decay with the body over time.
Other examples of alternative methods of human preservation
are: shrunken heads and human taxidermy; along with mummification, all three of
these methods provide various ways to see, not only how humans have evolved,
but also how human bodies adapt to living in different conditions around the
globe.
Leonardo di Vinci was one of the first people to ever draw
an anatomical sketch of the human body. Just as we now study bodies from the
past, di Vinci used recently deceased bodies to analysis and examine; he did
this in order to improve his skills as an artist. Di Vinci believed that by
having a better understanding of the human body and the way it was formed, he
could make his drawings and paintings more anatomically correct, and therefore
more realistic.
Another artist who studies human anatomy is Doctor Gunther
von Hagens, an artist who uses the technique of plastination to preserve human
bodies and body parts and uses them as figures in his artwork; placing them in
everyday situations e.g. playing sport, sitting around a table etc, with the
muscular system and organs exposed. His work displays humans from underneath
the skin, completing everyday tasks; his work is preserving modern day human
bodies, which is fast becoming a dying art form.
With cremation becoming the most popular form of ceremony in
the UK, as opposed to a traditional burial: “Current
figures suggest that around 70% of all funerals are cremations.”1. The
question is raised: if these figures continue to rise, will facts about 21st
Century anatomy be obsolete? There are many factors as to why cremation has
become so popular; the cost for one, “The funeral and burial can cost £4,550 if you already have a
plot that was purchased ahead of time. If there isn't burial plot and one must
be purchased for a recent death, the cost of the plot could double in cost
because it is now needed on demand.”2 Were as, “If you have the
funeral and cremation, you can expect to pay about £1,950 plus £1,300 for the
casket. The total will be £3,250 for a cremation and funeral with a service and
visitation.”2 Cremations can be made even cheaper “If you choose to
have the deceased cremated before the service and no visitation, it will cost
you about £650. This is for the standard cremation container and the urn.”2
Many people may prefer to be buried once they are deceased, but don’t want to
leave the family with such an expense cost; therefore, they may opt for
cremation purely from an expenses point of view.
The
lack of land is another factor which is taken account when choosing cremation over
a traditional burial. Local councils will encourage people to opt for a
cremation as this saves money, which can be used elsewhere, rather than keeping
large areas of land available to create cemeteries.
My
visit to The Victoria Gallery & Museum proved to be very informative an
educational. There was a wide selection of artefacts relating to human anatomy
to study, including skulls and x-rays, among others; the artefacts which I
found to be of most interest, were in fact, dentures and false teeth from the
past. This was very thought provoking and links to my previous cremation vs.
Burial argument: how will scientists, artists and historians of the future
study our teeth and dentures, to gain an insight into our lives; if all the
evidence has been burnt away?
In
my personal experience, I find anatomy fascinating. My primary contact with it
has been through taxidermy, both human and animal; a visit to Obscura: Antiques
and Oddities in New York was an amazing experience, a small family run shop
displaying (as the name suggests) obscure finds; a sort of taxidermy museum.
Finds included: a two-headed calf, a shrunken human head, a preserved human
head, empty turtle shells and other unusual but amazing items.
My
hope for the future is that; scientists, artists, historians and the like, will
be able to have an information and inspirational insight into the anatomy of 21st
Century humans and to be able to exhibit us in fascinating ways, that we have
been preserved over time; to be able to physically see and examine us, rather
than simply read about us in old doctors notes and crematorium records.
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