RCS Anatomy of an Athlete exhibition
New show exploring the anatomy and physiology of elite Olympic athletes in London
In the run up to the Olympics, Anatomy of an Athlete is the theme for the latest exhibition at The Royal College of Surgeons’ Hunterian Museum.
The exhibition, which runs from 13 March to 29 September 2012, explores the anatomy and physiology of elite Olympic athletes, the latest innovations in orthopaedic surgery, prosthetics and the importance of training in creating and maintaining world-class sports people.
Working with world-leading medical artists, the exhibition showcases the best of British at running, hurdling, canoeing and hockey through a variety of media including watercolour, video and sculpture.
Exhibits include:
A 30-inch three-dimensional wax model of sprinter Richard Whitehead, who runs with Össur prosthetic feet, showing subcutaneous musculature, in the classical tradition of the anatomical flayed écorché.
Life-size photograph of hockey player Richard Smith, with blown-up watercolours detailing his shoulder, knee and heart (the latter juxtaposed with an unhealthy organ to emphasise the benefits of exercise)
Digital sequence of a hurdler leaping, with ghosted details of the stresses placed on her hamstring. A triptych of positions, with one detail of the surgical procedures to re-stich the hamstring to the pelvis
Motion footage of canoeist Etienne Scott transforming into a moving digital image of a shoulder injury as it occurs, followed by dynamic representations of the surgical procedures
For more information visit www.rcseng.ac.uk.
Matt Baird
Editor of Cycling Plus magazine 
