Eye-popping Body Worlds RX exhibit coming to Houston for four-month run 75 human specimens will show visitors what we are made of

PHOTOS: Body Worlds returns to Houston

One of the most visually-stunning and humbling anatomical exhibits is coming to The Health Museum in Houston for a four-month stay. Body Worlds RX is a new traveling exhibit featuring real human bodies and body parts, showing visitors details of our inner workings in a very in-your-face way. The exhibit will be at the museum starting Jan. 14 and run until April 23.

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One of the most visually-stunning and humbling anatomical exhibits is coming to The Health Museum in Houston for a four-month stay. Body Worlds RX is a new traveling ... more Photo: Adam Berry/Getty Images Photo: Adam Berry/Getty Images Image 1 of / 69 Caption Close Eye-popping Body Worlds RX exhibit coming to Houston for four-month run 1 / 69 Back to Gallery

One of the most visually-stunning and humbling anatomical exhibits is coming to The Health Museum in Houston for a four-month stay.

Body Worlds RX is a new traveling exhibit featuring real human bodies and body parts, showing visitors details of our inner workings in a very in-your-face way.

The exhibit will be at the museum starting Jan. 14 and run until April 23.

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The world-famous Body Worlds last came to Houston and the Houston Museum of Natural Science a decade ago. The exhibit was extremely popular and drew huge crowds. The specimens, preserved via a plastination process pioneered by German anatomist Dr. Gunther von Hagens in 1977, come posed in sometimes humorous positions. One scene saw a human specimen riding a horse that had also been dissected.

The process is rather complex, removing fluids from the body and replacing them with plastic that hardens.

The family-friendly traveling exhibit has inspired people to take on careers in anatomy, the medical field, and even physical therapy. The tours began in the mid-‘90s in Europe and came to the United States in 2004. 43 million people all over the world have seen the Body Worlds exhibits.

The exhibition that came to Houston in 2006 focused on the human brain.

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Body Worlds RX -- currently wrapping up an exhibition in Jacksonville, Florida – concentrates on health and the human body, showing visitors what ailments like arthritis, cancer, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and even dementia do to the human body under our skin.

Expect to see a pair of healthy lungs next to a pair of lungs ravaged by years of smoking. It’s not a pretty sight and will likely make you want to gag.

Sadly, cancer is the second highest cause of death in the United States. Plastinated organs on display will show cancerous tissues and tumor metastases.

Georgina Gomez, Manager for the Institute for Plastination Body Donation Program, said Friday that the exhibit is set to feature 75 specimens.

“We want to teach people about human anatomy, how to live a healthier life, and learn about their own bodies,” Gomez says.

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The specimens are made up of bodies donated to the cause. All processed in Germany, Gomez says that there are about 16,000 people who have signed up to have their bodies be used for the process.

“There are about 125 from Texas that have signed up,” she says.

Those who have signed up have seen the exhibition and want to be a part of the learning process. You can still be an organ donor and donate the rest of your body to Body Worlds.

“Artists say they want to donate their bodies so they can live on as art after they are gone,” Gomez says.

Dr. Melanie Johnson, President and CEO for The Health Museum, was excited to get Body Worlds RX at the museum finally, missing out a decade ago.

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“It’s a chance to talk about illnesses and diseases that plague, which is what we do, a whole new way,” Johnson says. “We want to empower people to live healthier lives.”

The hope is that once someone sees what a horrid diet does to their insides they will make a lifestyle change. On display is a juxtaposition of body slices from an obese and lean body.

“It’s very in-your-face and will scare you straight,” she says.

She says that the community has a desire to see something authentic like this. The inspiration for the health museum at first was children but now they’ve branched out to include everyone in Houston. Since opening in 1996 the mission has changed somewhat it seems.

“We want to be a resource for the whole family and reach out to all walks of life,” she says.

Johnson adds that aside from the lessons to be learned on personal health and wellness, Body Worlds RX also shows visitors just how amazing the human body is.

“We are made of extremely dynamic parts. We are a work of art,” Johnson says.

General admission to The Health Museum is free for children two and under; $8 for children 3 to 12 years old and seniors 65 and above; $10 for adults; and free on Thursdays for families. The free days will also include the Body Worlds RX exhibit. Active and retired personnel receive half-off admission for up to four people.