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These directions came from a Science Museum of Minnesota volunteer  
who's made bogus intestines.

I've made several sets of intestines - full size, as befits a science  
museum.  I used three shades of pink spandex (swimsuit weight), one  
for the upper intestines, one for the lower and the third for the  
appendix.  I stuffed them lightly with polyester stuffing, enough to  
fill out the shape but not enough to stretch it.  Making sphincters is  
optional, but I did that on the latest iteration.  The finished  
product is nicely squishy.

One volunteer wanted a more accurate rectum, so I stuffed a few inches  
of panty hose and inserted it just above the sphincter.

The spandex and polyester are completely washable, which is definitely  
necessary.  You may want to make several sets right away, as pulling  
them out of the mummy is likely to cause snagging of the spandex.   
Plus, having one in the demo and one in the wash is useful.

The first set I made was in use more or less constantly for the three  
months of the special exhibit, after which it moved to our Human Body  
Gallery.  It wasn't used as often there, and lasted for another year  
or two before I made the replacement.

If you want more details on the construction, I'll be happy to share  
what I've done.

Have fun!

Ruth Ladwig
Science Museum of Minnesota
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On Sep 18, 2008, at 10:38 PM, Anna Hurst wrote:

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology  
> Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related  
> institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
>
> Does anyone have any experience creating and/or running programs  
> with an interactive mummy? (i.e. a life-sized doll or mannequin with  
> removable organs that visitors can use to go through the steps of  
> mummification). Right now we're just looking for general ideas and  
> advice on how to create and implement something like this. We  
> already have a mannequin torso with head to use as a starting point.  
> It will be part of the school program for an Egyptian exhibit as  
> part of the San Francisco State University Museum Studies program. I  
> know they have something like this at the Field Museum in Chicago  
> and will try to contact them. (Anyone from the Field Museum reading  
> this? Can we chat?)
>
> Apart from general advice, I'm also looking for ideas on how to make  
> a good life-sized (or slightly smaller) model of the human  
> intestines to pull out of our mummy. This will be handled over and  
> over, so has to be durable, and should also be sanitary and not too  
> messy, so using pig's intestines or such would not really be an  
> option. I was thinking of stuffed panty hose or a cloth or rubber  
> tube, but I appreciate any and all suggestions. Perhaps there's some  
> way to get a good "squishy" effect without any "sliminess"?
>
> Reply on or off list, whichever you prefer.
>
> Thanks!
> Anna Hurst
> SFSU Museum Studies student
>
>
> ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
> Anna Hurst
> Astronomical Society of the Pacific
> 390 Ashton Ave.
> San Francisco, CA 94112
> 415-337-1100 ext. 108
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>
>
>
>
>
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