A free play that uses a life-sized gelatin cadaver to explore the art and science of anatomy will take place Oct. 24 and 25 at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
“Corpus Delicti: Just Desserts,” which recently had a sold-out run at the University of Chicago, takes place in Holland during the Age of Enlightenment and is loosely based on Rembrandt’s 1632 painting, “The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp.” The main character, Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, guides audiences through the taboo territory of the body’s interior, inviting them to witness the dissection of a cadaver made up of ballistic gelatin and vegetables as internal organs. Another character, Sister Luyt, interrupts Tulp’s lesson and challenges the ethics of this emerging field of research, revealing her identity as the first woman to be condemned to death and public dissection in Amsterdam. In the ensuing debate, both the living and the dead re-examine their relationship to the human corpse.
A “post-mortem” panel discussion with researchers, ethicists, artists and members of the cast will be held after the performance.
The play is produced by Local Infinities Visual Theater. This production is sponsored by the Humanities Program in Medicine, the Center for the Humanities and the Center for the Study of Ethics and Human Values, all programs at Washington University.
Performances will be held at 7 p.m. each evening in Clopton Auditorium in Wohl Clinic, located at 4960 Children’s Place, on the medical school campus. To make a reservation, call 454-7116.
Washington University School of Medicine’s full-time and volunteer faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals. The School of Medicine is one of the leading medical research, teaching and patient care institutions in the nation, currently ranked fourth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.