Grossology: the (impolite) science of the human body
Welcome to the world of Grossology, an exhibition of science in disguise where kids as well as intrigued students can get the answers to many of the slimy, oozy, stinky questions they have always wanted to ask about the
human body. Grossology explores the inconceivable areas of the human
body.
Initially hesitant to be treated like a child, I soon
succumbed to the delights of this fun journey and took up the
opportunity of erasing any preclinical memories about bodily functions.
Becoming a dust particle, I walked through a giant nose to experience
the process of sneezing, and to learn about air filtering, air heating,
olfaction, and mucus production. I met Nigel Nose-it-all,
who taught us what snot was made up of, the number of us who pick our
noses, and other interesting facts I had never come across—did
you know that we smell best at the age of 10 or that mucus in the nose
is created every 20 minutes?
A journey through the digestive system proves fun learning
Leaving
it to the kids to climb the human skin wall with warts, hairs, wounds,
and other objects to grip on to, I spent a few moments revising the
features of pimples, blisters, pores, bruises, and
scabs.
The vomit centre helps you
learn about the many reasons for vomit, but, more importantly, manages
to visualise the whole process cleverly in an eye catching contraption.
The Toot Toot creates different sounds that replicate the physics of
gas. Learn how bogeys are formed by launching dirt balls into a larger
than life nose, or act as a kidney by using a virtual reality glove and
blue screen technology to grab waste elements and remove them from the
bloodstream.
Other weird and wonderful things to do are helping a
large cartoon character release a giant burp by pumping soda pop from a
one metre can to make him drink and increase his stomach pressure. You
can also play gas attack pinball, collecting points from bumpers
dressed up as food items, as well as crawl and slide through a three
dimensional model of the digestive system that is longer than 9
metres.
Dripping with facts, he nose it all
The exhibition is based on
the best selling book of the same name by Sylvia Branzei, former
science teacher, writer, curriculum designer and microbiologist, who
has cleverly injected humour into the main functions of the human body
in order to make it fun and exciting to learn.
According to Branzei, educating children
about body secretions is sometimes difficult and parents do not put
much emphasis on this part of science: these topics, albeit important,
are often
overlooked.
Branzei got
the idea to make lessons out of gross stuff one day in 1993 while she
was clipping her toenails. She started examining the gunk underneath
her nails and thought that her students would be fascinated by it.
“Kids love gross stuff,” she says. “This is
science in disguise. If we teach students in a way that makes
it fun, they′ll understand
better.”
Branzei admits
there′s not much that grosses her out any more. But after some
thought, she does come up with one example: “In one Eskimo
community, when a baby gets a cold, the parents actually suck the snot
out of its nose.”
Despite
being a small exhibition, a gadget using sophisticated animatronics,
interactive exhibits, and hard science exists for every subject, with
answers for all those awkward questions: why our stomachs rumble, why
we burp and belch, causes of cheesy feet, and the advantages of
diarrhoea.
Grossology was an
enjoyable experience, a chance to absorb a few interesting facts and
have fun at the same time. But most importantly, I felt more informed
about all the rude questions my little brother often asks me
about.
Grossology
is on at the Science Museum, Exhibition Road,
London SW7 2DD (www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/exhibitions)
until 6 September 2002. Admission: Adults £5.95; Concessions
£4.95.
Samena Chaudhry, BMJ
Email: sxc602@doctors.org.uk
studentBMJ 2002;10:259-302 August ISSN 0966-6494
