Institute for PlastinationHeidelberg, Germany

Donating Your Bodyfor Plastination

Institute for Plastination

“What can I know?

What should I do? What may I hope for?

What is man?”

Immanuel Kant (1724–1804)German Philosopher

Preface

Dear Sir or Madam,

You are interested in the possibility of donating your body for plastination, a method that makes it possible to pre-

serve natural anatomical specimens permanently for the purposes of research and instruction. The demand for

this type of human specimens has remained constant. While, on the one hand, they are absolutely necessary for

training physicians and for keeping physicians’ skills up-to-date, they can, on the other hand, be used to educate

the public on general medical issues—which cannot be said of traditionally preserved specimens. This is why I

have set up a body donation programme for plastination.

I invented plastination in 1977 at the Anatomical Institute of the University of Heidelberg, where I worked for 20

years as a physician and anatomist. Since that time I have made it my life’s work to continue developing these

procedures and techniques, and have been awarded a number of patents for my efforts. In order to be better able

to do justice to this ambition, I established the Institute for Plastination (IfP) in 1993, which I now run as Scientific

Director. Dr. med. Angelina Whalley is a licensed physician and the Institute’s Managing Director.

This brochure contains the important information that you will need if you are thinking about donating your body

for plastination. You will learn, for instance, what will be done with your body after death. In addition, we will

explain the plastination process to you—a process that is part of a centuries-long tradition of preserving and dis-

secting anatomical specimens. This brochure will introduce the ethical and moral issues involved and will provide

information both on the work and objectives of the IfP and on current and future research endeavors. Finally, this

brochure will also provide detailed instructions for donating your body for plastination and will show you how to

obtain additional information.

Dr. med. Gunther von Hagens, Physician, Anatomist, Plastinator Dr. med. Angelina Whalley

Visiting Professor at the NYU College of Dentistry, New York, USA Managing Director

Institute for Plastination

Im Bosseldorn 17, 69126 Heidelberg, GermanyBody Donation Office: Phone: +49 (0) 6221-33 11 50, Fax: +49 (0) 6221-33 11 45

E-mail: koerperspende@plastination.com

1. Preservation and Anatomy – Traditions and the Future

Table of Contents

Preface 1

1. Preservation and Anatomy—Traditions and the Future 3

Transience and Immortalization 5

Reverence and Insight 5

Taboos and Curiosity 5

Science and Art 6

Preservation and Restoration 6

Plastination and Education 8

2. Plastination: Theory and Practice 9

The Plastination Process 10

Special Technical Subtleties 12

A New Approach to Teaching Anatomy 12

Craftsmanship or Showmanship? 13

3. The Institute for Plastination (IfP) 15

Mission and Objectives 16

Body Donor Program of the IfP 16

Handling Dead Bodies and Specimens 18

Measures for Science and Medical Research 19

Projects for Medical Education 20

4. Donating Your Body 25

Motivations and Thoughts of Body Donors 26

How Can I Donate My Body for Plastination? 27

Are There Conditions for Donating My Body? 27

How Does My Body Get to the Institute for Plastination? 29

What Happens to the Body during Plastination? 29

What Costs Are Incurred? 29

Where Can I Obtain Further Information? 29

Postscript by Gunther von Hagens:

Ensuring the Future of IfP's Body-Donor Program 30

Appendix 31

Dr. Gunther von Hagens, Curriculum Vitae 31

Literature 31

8th edition, March 2007This brochure is protected under copyright law. The use of sections of this brochure for publication purposes is only authorized

with our prior consent and providing the source as indicated.It may be copied and passed on to others interested in becoming body donors.

“Anatomical dissection givesthe human spirit the opportu-nity to compare the dead withthe living, the disassociatedwith the whole, the destroyedwith the nascent, and opens upthe profundity of nature to usmore than any other effort andobservation.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe German Poet (1749–1832)

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Leonardo da Vinci performed private studies in which he dissected human bodies. These formed the basis for his detailed,life-like, anatomical drawings. He thus made a significant contribution to social acceptance of the study of the human body.

Transience and Immortalization

Reverence in the face of death is a sig-nificant hallmark of all cultures, as evi-denced by burial rites in which thedeceased are often laid out prior to burialor cremation. For the survivors, gravesand cemeteries are places of intensereflection, which offer the opportunityboth to keep the memory of the deceasedalive as well as to say goodbye before thebody succumbs to decomposition andbecomes an object of alienation andrevulsion. It follows that ancestral burialrites are also rooted in issues of hygiene.A decomposing body poses the risk ofinfection and contamination for survivors.

Human transience, however, is counteredby a need as old as humanity itself: thelonging to be immortalized. Cave paint-ings, the pyramids of Egypt, art collec-tions, charitable foundations, and memo-rials all testify to this longing. Therefore,it is hardly surprising that the desire toprotect one’s own body and those of lovedones from decomposition, or at least toslow down the process, has been presentin all human civilizations since timeimmemorial. As a result, the first greatachievements of civilization brought withthem methods that attempted to immor-talize the bodies of the departed—at leastin the cases of important individuals.

The mummies of ancient Egyptian phar-aohs and dignitaries, admittedly, are noth-ing more than mortal shells that havebeen disemboweled, treated with fragrantresins such as myrrh, and that have shrunkas a result of having dried out. Very littleof the life and death of the deceased isstill recognizable, which was intended tobe beneficial for the trip to the otherworld. The failed organs that resulted inthe individual’s death, for instance, wereentombed separately in vessels known ascanopic jars.

Reverence and Insight

Religion and ideology impeded the study

of human anatomy for many centuries.The casual acceptance of killing (wars,witch hunts, the death penalty) and theban on dissecting corpses stood in strikingcontradiction to one another. On the onehand, killing was accepted and legalizedby society, whereas opening up and thor-oughly studying the dead for the benefitof the living was inconceivable.Anatomists had to limit themselves tostudying the anatomy of animals, espe-cially dogs and monkeys. Even Hip-pocrates (460-375 BC) and Aristotle(384-322 BC) obtained their knowledgeof anatomy by dissecting animals.Attempting to extrapolate the results tohumans, however, resulted in a numberof mistakes.

Ever since one of the most significantphysicians of antiquity, Galen (c. 129-199AD), treated wounded gladiators in hishome town of Pergamon and then begantreating Emperors Marcus Aurelius andCommodus, the art of medicine tookmore steps backwards than it did forwards.Which makes the following exception allthe more striking: as early as 1238,Emperor Frederick II (1194-1250) of theHouse of Hohenstaufen decreed that reg-ular autopsies be performed to determinecauses of death.

The eye for analytical study whichemphasized knowledge over piety, firstdeveloped in western civilization—thisonly happened gradually, however, as theWest became more oriented towards sci-entific inquiry. As a telling aspect of thistransformation, the late Middle Ages sawa fundamental shift away from a mythi-cal, symbolic understanding of thehuman body (including corpses andinternal organs) and towards a more real-istic perspective.

Taboos and Curiosity

The dissection of human bodies repre-sented a triumph of reason over a vaguereluctance resulting from what is perhapsa latent aversion to cutting open the human

body. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)who today is the best known artist andscientist of that period performed privateanatomical dissections. These formedthe basis for his realistic and detailedanatomical drawings with which he madea significant contribution to social accep-tance of the study of the human body.Human curiosity has always been theengine that has driven progress, whichhas often taken place only when sociallyaccepted norms were violated. Today, forinstance, we can hardly imagine why itwas such a sensation in late medievalItaly when renowned anatomist AndreasVesalius (1514-1564), personal physi-cian to Emperor Charles V and KingPhilip II of Spain, correctly assembledhuman bones into what he called a“skeleton” (Gr. skéllein = to dry). Thisact artificially brought the dead back to afanciful sort of life after death. Illustra-tions from those times, which showskeletons participating in every conceiv-able activity including praying and danc-ing (Dance of Death), bear witness to hisefforts. Public exhibitions of human

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“Osteographia,” or “The Anatomy of the Bones,”William Cheselden (1688-1752)

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Drawings from 1747 by the German Bernhard Siegfried Albinus who was an anatomist at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands.

anatomy, known as “anatomical theaters,”for the benefit of medical scholars andinterested laypersons were another wayin which Vesalius broke a taboo. Usingthese experiences as a basis, he wrotehis monumental work, “De fabricahumani corporis”—the first completetextbook of human anatomy—pointingout significant weaknesses and errors inGalen’s teachings which until that timehad remained unchallenged since the2nd century AD.

Science and Art

The dissection theaters of the day weremore than mere academic lecture halls.Heavily influenced both by humanismand by the aesthetics of the Renais-sance, these presentations of medicalscholarship had a deeply felt impact onhumanity’s understanding of ourselves,of nature, and of our world. They alsoserved to inspire the arts. More than afew anatomical drawings from this periodshow artistically dissected bodies in nat-ural, life-like poses and set in land-scapes; anatomists gathered in a circlearound an opened body became a signifi-

cant variation on the group portraittheme in painting. Typical examplesinclude “Anatomy Lesson of Dr. JoanDeyman” and “Anatomy Lesson of Dr.Nicolaas Tulp” by Dutch painter Rem-brandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669), created in 1628 and 1632, respectively.

French anatomist Honoré Fragonard(1732-1799) took a slightly differentperspective, performing dissections inthe service of traditional art and trans-forming his own anatomical specimensinto enduring works of art. His numerousdissection projects made him somethingof a sculptor of dead bodies. Fragonardalso wanted to extend the guiding princi-ple of the Enlightenment to include theworkings of the human body. He wantedto present the body in a way that wasvivid, insightful, and, above all, beauti-ful. For him, anatomy was not just a sub-science of medicine, but was instead itsaesthetic culmination. In order to pre-vent his specimens from deteriorating,Fragonard injected them with coloredwax which solidified in the blood vessels;the remaining tissue dried out and wastreated with lacquer.

A particularly stunning work that he cre-ated in this way is his “The Rider of theApocalypse,” (see page 8) which can stillbe seen along with his other works at hisformer workshop in Alfort near Paris.(Info: Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Al-fort, 7, Avenue du Général de Gaulle,94704 Maisons-Alfort, France; Tel.: +33(0) 1–43967172, www.vet-alfort.fr)

The creation of the first slices of thehuman body dates back to the nine-teenth century, when renownedanatomist Nikolas Pirogoff published“Anatomia topographica, sectionibus percorpus humanum”—a volume still infor-mative to this day—featuring 213 draw-ings of slices of the human body, includ-ing one of a pregnant woman. The stoneprinting blocks are still in existence.

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The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaas Tulp, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606–1669)

Cross-sectional drawing of the body of a preg-nant woman by Russian anatomist NikolasPirogoff, 1855

“During an anatomy lesson, thecadaver does indeed experience amarvelous transformation: where-as an obtuse respect for putres-cence once sentenced it to decayin darkness, the daring gesturethat forcibly brings it to the lightof day has turned it into a lumi-nous figure of truth—science nowburrows its way through the terri-tory that once merely filled thebellies of maggots.”

Michel FoucaultFrench Philosopher (1926–1984)

2. Plastination – Theory and Practice

Plastination and Education

The invention of plastination is an aes-thetically sensitive method of preservingmeticulously dissected anatomical speci-mens and even entire bodies as perma-nent, life-like materials for anatomicalinstruction. The body cells and naturalsurface structures retain their originalforms and are identical to their conditionprior to preservation, even at a micro-scopic level. The specimens are dry andodorless, and remain unchanged for avirtually unlimited amount of time, mak-ing them truly accessible. These charac-teristics lend plastinated specimens ines-timable value both for training prospec-tive doctors and for educating non-pro-fessionals in the field of medicine.When laypersons view a plastinatedhuman body or organ for the first time,their emotional response can be quitepowerful. However, if they do not imme-diately recoil in horror and can regaintheir composure after facing this existen-tial experience, they are often grippedwith a deeply moving fascination forwhat has been fixed in this novel way onthe border between death and decompo-sition. Many of those who come to theBODY WORLDS exhibition haveexpressed their gratitude for the courageof those individuals who, while alive,explicitly stated in their last will and tes-tament that their bodies should not beburied or cremated, but that othersshould see them and learn from them.Revealing the features of our physicalbeing—from its hair, skin, fat, muscles,tendons, and bones to the most intricatenetworks of blood vessels and nerves—may sound revolutionary. In reality, how-ever, it is merely a continuation of thescientific tradition, which is guided bythe proposition that the edification of thepublic is the ultimate purpose ofresearch. In a sense, therefore, the pub-lic display of human bodies representsthe resurrection of the anatomical the-aters of the early modern period, albeitin a completely new form.

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“The Rider of the Apocalypse,” Honoré Fragonard (1732-1799)

when water-soluble polyethylene glycolcame into use; the plastination processwas invented in the 1970s.Today, anatomical studies performed onhuman bodies as well as the use of gen-uine skeletons and organs for medicaltraining have become a matter of course.Yet the knowledge and freedoms painstak-ingly achieved by the founding fathers ofscientific anatomy are now lost to the gen-eral public, and dissections performed inanatomical theaters are a thing of thepast. Anatomical museums generally shownothing more than bleached out speci-mens of the human body kept in smalljars. Specimens such as these are notsuitable for educating the public on thenormal functions and disorders of thehuman organism. Non-professionals rarelyhave the opportunity to see the materialused for research and teaching—whichincludes malformed fetuses, organs, andtissue that have been damaged in everyconceivable manner. And if they do seesuch things, they are more likely to befilled with the fear of death than actuallyto learn something that will enhance theirlives. Even many prospective physiciansinitially have to force themselves to lookat these specimens.

Preservation and Restoration

The aesthetic concept of science thatFragonard and Pirogoff shared was madepossible in a brief window of history whenscientists had already opened up thehuman body, but when there was not yet acode of medical conduct that restrictedhow it could be used. On the one hand,the development of suitable preservationmethods represented tremendous progress,as the study of human anatomy had beenvery much impeded by the decompositionprocess. A breakthrough in preservingorgans which, unlike bones, readilydecompose, came in 1893 with the intro-duction of formalin (an aqueous solutionof formaldehyde). For the first time, softtissue and even complete corpses couldbe preserved as so-called “wet specimens”which provided a high level of quality and,for the times, relative permanence. Thefirst of what were known as “dry speci-mens” were preserved using a methodpatented in 1914, in which the body’s tis-sues were saturated with paraffin. Thisprocess was not replaced until the 1950s,

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The Plastination Process

Flu

ids

inT

issu

es

Aceto

ne

Solid

Pla

stic

Liq

uid

Pla

stic

SawingBodies are cut in 3.5 mm slices

while frozen.

DissectionPosed specimens are dissected

with forceps and scalpels.

Fluid RemovalFrozen bodily fluids are replaced by acetone in a cold acetone bath.

Fat RemovalSoluble fat molecules are replaced by acetone in a warm acetone bath.

Casting SlicesSlices of tissue are laid betweensheets of film and/or glass plates.

EmbalmingDecomposition is stopped using formaldehyde.

Heat Curing

Plastinated SlicesInfused with epoxy resin.

Forced ImpregnationIn a vacuum, acetone is extracted and gradually replaced with plastic.

PositioningEach structure is broughtinto the proper position.

Gas Curing

Posed SpecimenInfused with silicon rubber.

The Plastination Process

Even though a major German encyclopedia(the 19th edition of the Brockhaus Ency-clopedia, 1992) indicates that the word“plastination” is derived from the Greek(from plassein = to shape, to form), theterm is, in fact, a creation of Gunther vonHagens. He coined the term because“plastification” already had a fixed mean-ing in the field of polymer chemistry, andthe expression used in the original patentsof 1977/78 (“Polymer Impregnation ofPerishable, Biological Specimens”) wasnot terribly catchy and utterly inadequatefor popularizing the new technology, par-ticularly abroad. The following paragraphswill provide an explanation of how plasti-nation works. We will first present theprocess in a general, comprehensible man-ner; for those with an interest, we will thengo into more detail regarding the chemi-cals and chemical processes used.A process at the interface of the medicaldiscipline of anatomy and modern polymerchemistry, plastination makes it possibleto preserve individual tissues and organsthat have been removed from the body ofthe deceased as well as the entire bodyitself. Like most inventions, plastination issimple in theory: in order to make a speci-men permanent, decomposition must behalted. Decomposition is a natural processtriggered initially by cell enzymes released

after death and later completed when thebody is colonized by putrefaction bacteriaand other microorganisms. By removingwater and fats from the tissue and replac-ing these with polymers, the plastinationprocess deprives bacteria of what theyneed to survive. However, bodily fluidscannot be replaced directly with polymers,because the two are chemically incompati-ble. Gunther von Hagens found a wayaround this problem: In the initial fluid-exchange step, water in the tissues (whichcomprises approximately 70% of thehuman body) and fatty tissues arereplaced with acetone, a solvent that read-ily evaporates. In the second step, the ace-tone is replaced with a polymer solution.The trick that first proved to be critical forpulling the liquid polymer into each andevery cell is what he calls “forced vacuumimpregnation.” A specimen is placed in avacuum chamber and the pressure isreduced to the point where the solventboils. The acetone is suctioned out of thetissue at the moment it vaporizes, and theresulting vacuum in the specimen causesthe polymer solution to permeate the tis-

sue. This exchange process is allowed tocontinue until all of the tissue has beencompletely saturated—while a matter ofonly a few days for thin slices, this stepcan take weeks for whole bodies.The second trick is selecting the rightpolymer. For this purpose, “reactive poly-mers” are used, i.e., polymers that cure(polymerize) under specific conditionssuch as the presence of light, heat, or cer-tain gases. Their viscosity must be low,Vacuum-Valve

AcetoneVacuum Chamber

The centerpiece of plastination: “forced impreg-nation.” In a vacuum, acetone trickles out of thetissue, creating a volume deficit in the specimenwhich allows it to be permeated by the plastic.

Forced impregnation in a glass vacuum bell. The force of the vacuum squeezes the acetone out of thespecimen in bubbles and to the top of the impregnation tank.

Plastinated brain slice. The plastic used providesexcellent definition between gray and white brainmatter.

than man-made, three-dimensional models,simply because they constitute unique,individual human bodies—models, on theother hand, have at some point had to beconsciously designed. Sometimes plasti-nates even communicate more thanuntreated anatomical specimens. Transpar-ent slices of tissue, for example, allowobservers to trace the course of even themost minute nerves into the depths of thebody. The gray matter visible in slices ofthe brain is easier to distinguish from thewhite medulla oblongata than is the casewith a fresh organ. When thephysical/chemical process is performedproperly, even small, microscopic bundlesof cells retain their original form. The resultis a visually arresting plastinate—the idealmethod for displaying a preserved body ina way that sheds light on the functions ofits structures.

Craftsmanship or Showmanship?

The unlimited shelf life of plastinatesmakes worthwhile highly detailed dissec-tion work that would have been too time-consuming prior to the invention of theprocess. After it has been saturated withsilicone rubber but before it can becured, for example, a whole-body plasti-nate can first be posed as desired; nee-dles and pieces of foam rubber are usedto hold nerves and muscles in place thathave been cut away from their naturalpositions.In addition to tremendous manual dexter-ity, this also requires a great deal ofknowledge in a variety of areas. The indi-vidual preparing the specimen must befamiliar with the opportunities affordedby process engineering and by the fieldsof chemistry involved. He or she must

also have an excellent memory for, andability to visualize, anatomical structuresas well as years of experience with dis-section and a talent for the job.Above all, preparing a whole-body plasti-nate is an intellectual and sculpturalachievement that requires the plastinatorto have a mental picture of the resultsbefore even beginning the project. Viewedfrom this perspective, creating a plastinatecan be compared to the work of an artistwho sculpts a figure from a block of stoneor who prepares a clay mold for a cast-bronze statue. However, the critical differ-ence is that the purpose of creating a per-manent anatomical specimen is not toachieve a perfect shape with a beautifulappearance. The objective is instead touse forceps, scalpel, and often the visionvisors (magnifiers) used by watchmakers inorder to highlight those details of a pre-

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“Rearing Horse with Rider” during positioning. Completion of this plastinate took three years.

i.e., they have to be very thin liquids; theymust be able to resist yellowing; and, ofcourse, they must be compatible withhuman tissue. The polymer selected deter-mines the look and feel of the finishedspecimen.

Special Technical Subtleties

What makes plastination complicated isthe large number of variations that havebecome possible since the invention ofthis process and that are essential forobtaining the best results. Indeed, thesevariations represent the very strengths ofthe process. A large number of factorsneeds to be taken into consideration: cru-cial among these is the degree of decom-position, but the list also includes the dis-tribution of fatty tissue and the amount ofblood in the veins. As a result, each indi-vidual specimen requires its own unique,carefully and precisely planned plastina-tion procedure if it is to be preserved per-fectly. Improvements and nuances in theprocess have understandably been linkedto the development of suitable polymers.Today, the following four primary classes ofpolymer are used in a variety of formula-

tions, each with its own distinctive proper-ties and appropriate for specific types ofspecimens:- Epoxy resins which become transparent

when heat-cured have become the mate-rial of choice for preparing body slices.

- Light-cured polyester resin blends yieldexcellent results for slices of the brain.

- Polymer emulsions that turn white whencured are primarily suitable for thickerslices, as these emulsions make fattytissue look more natural.

- Silicone rubber cures in gas andremains relatively soft and pliable, lend-ing specimens an especially life-likeappearance. Very low-viscosity siliconeachieves the best results with completeorgan systems. Silicone-based processesare now the most frequently used (inover 40 countries).

Through the use of silicone rubber, Gun-ther von Hagens was able to solve thegreatest problem posed by plastination:the long periods of time required for com-plete preservation of large tissue speci-mens and whole bodies. In 1990, he com-pleted his first whole-body plastination.Other milestones along the way haveincluded “perfusion plastination” whichmakes it possible to purge organ systems

of blood, fix them in place, and then per-meate them first with acetone and thenwith silicone. The vascular system is thenevacuated before curing the specimen viagas perfusion. These plastinates are pli-able and lightweight because their vascu-lar systems are empty—only their cells aresaturated with plastic. A number of keyexperiences have been integrated intowhat has become a 30-year-long processof development and optimization of thepreservation and dissection methods used.

A New Approach to Teaching Anatomy

Traditionally, medical students familiarizethemselves with the human body througha process of removal. First they removethe skin from the corpse, then they detachmuscle after muscle from the limbs, andfinally conclude by removing the chestand abdominal walls. After removing theorgans, the remainder of the body is—touse their own rather telling term—“dis-sected down” to the bones and ligaments.According to medical encyclopedias,anatomy is a teaching discipline withinthe field of medicine; it is based on thedismemberment of the dead and con-cerned with the form, composition, andstructure of the human body up to andincluding the most intricate details of itstissues, functions, and prenatal develop-ment.Considered in this light, plastination doesnot differ from traditional anatomy in anyway. As an innovative preservation method,it does, however, make it possible to cre-ate completely new types of specimens.When the polymers harden, for instance,muscles that would ordinarily be slack canprovide support, allowing the body to bedisplayed in a variety of unusual poses,either in its entirety or in various stages ofanatomical dissection. It is even possibleto take a body that has been dissectedinto components of interest and stretch itin all directions, thereby creating gaps thatallow for informative glimpses into thebody and reveal structural relationshipsthat would otherwise remain hidden.Plastinates are able to convey far more

12

Specimens plastinated with silicone are cured with a special gas.

“That man can be conscious of himself in hiscontemplation raises him infinitely aboveall other living creatures on Earth.”

Immanuel Kant, German Philosopher(1724-1804)

3. The Institute for Plastination (IfP)

existing, natural organism that best illumi-nate the relationships between structuresand their functions within a living body. Ifthis process is executed with meticulousdissection and preservation work, the bodyis transformed into a replica of a life thathas been lived that captures the authenticnature of that life.Presenting bodily functions in this waysometimes requires positions that reflectcertain themes. The traditional pose of thereflective chess player, for example, isideal for illustrating the nervous system,whereas a dancer would lend itself well toshowing a particularly powerful femalefoot. The resulting novel postures have ledthese bodies to be referred to as “posedplastinates.” Of course, it is true that their

postures differ from specimens preservedaccording to traditional anatomical prac-tice, but this is a necessary consequenceand not the aim of this integrated “recon-structive anatomy” which aims to recreatethe living body. The poses of these speci-mens can have a disturbing effect onexperts and laypersons alike—after all, thebodies and body parts on display havebeen reconnected to the living environ-ment from which they originated. What isnew is that a body rescued in this wayfrom decomposition not only fails to instillrevulsion in those who see it, but isinstead perceived as something beautiful.Sometimes this perception is so over-whelming that observers may well forgetthe frailty of the human body, which the

specimen so clearly demonstrates.It would be surprising if this did not pro-duce an emotional storm in need of intel-lectual and spiritual processing. However,if the shock of the experience immediatelytriggers feelings of either hostility andaggression or unbridled enthusiasm, wecan rest assured that these are onlyextreme responses that reflect very differ-ent natures and world views.Our civilization is so advanced that we livein what is essentially an environment ofour own creation, i.e., an artificial world.Consequently, it is all too understandablethat we are increasingly inclined to repressour natural side. For many people, theirbodies are little more than machines thatthe doctor is supposed to fix wheneverthere is any technical difficulty or failure.Even such vital organs as the kidneys,heart, and liver can now be replaced withhealthy donor tissue as soon as severedamage sets in. Ever since this possibilityhas existed, discourse on the subject hasbeen essentially reduced to two problems:the practical issue of whether sufficientreplacement parts are available and theethical issue of determining how to estab-lish the moment of the donor’s death sothat surgeons can immediately beginremoving the organs (assuming consenthas been given).By displaying human specimens publicly,an exhibition like BODY WORLDS allowsus to encounter what remains of our natur-al selves within the framework of our artifi-cial environment. Specifically, when welook inside whole bodies and organs inwhich disease processes such as lung can-cer or heart attacks have run their course,we also see both our physical frailty andthe cavalier manner in which we oftenneglect our own bodies. As such, theseplastinates can elevate our individual andcollective health consciousness. Besidessatisfying purely scientific interests forindividuals willing to expose themselves tothe experience, exhibits such as these canalso act as vivid and, most importantly, asintellectual and spiritual bridges to ourown bodies. Furthermore, they can alsoprovide profound and moving insight intoour own physical nature.

“The Chess Player,” Gunther von Hagens, 1997

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(1) Only a few academic establish-ments are in a position to set uptheir own plastination laboratoriesand to train and pay the staff need-ed to maintain such a facility. Thenature and size of some academicinstitutions (such as nursing col-leges and training centers for med-ical technicians and other medicalprofessions) would not supportsuch activities.

(2) New technological developments inplastination mean that it is nowpossible to preserve entire bodies.Whole-body specimens are particu-larly valuable for anatomical study,because students can examine thebody in its entirety, in the sameway as they will later be examiningand treating living bodies in theirentirety. Consequently, the develop-ment of plastination has now beengetting away from preserving smallindividual specimens to dissectingwhole bodies. This process is tech-nically extremely complex and is farbeyond the scope of a universitylaboratory.

(3) Theoretically, manufacturers ofteaching aids could remedy this sit-

uation to produce plastinated spec-imens for anatomical study usingthe best equipment available. How-ever, as the production of plastinat-ed specimens involves majorexpenses, they could not be givenaway for free; they would have tobe sold. No one would be preparedto do this in practice, as the sale ofbodies or parts of bodies is a con-troversial issue in our society and isconsidered unethical or morallyobjectionable.

This situation not only applies to pro-ducing plastinated specimens, but toother urgently needed human specimensas well, despite the fact that their saleand purchase are not against the law inGermany and other Western countries.An important and understandable reasonfor the controversy surrounding thisissue is due to the fact that the donorshave not explicitly agreed to let theirbodies be sold after their deaths. Thereare neither laws which state that deadbodies must be left intact, nor are thereany which do not allow parts of suchbodies to be removed unless consenthas been given. Consequently, there is a

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Dissection in Gunther von Hagens' laboratory in Dalian, PR China. Approx. 1,000 to 1,500 man-hoursare required to produce one whole-body plastinate.

Mission and Objectives

Gunther von Hagens found it necessaryto establish the Institute for Plastina-tion (IfP) in 1993 because the spaceand technical facilities available at theUniversity of Heidelberg were no longeradequate for the growing demands ofplastination. At the IfP in Heidelberg,the techniques for preparing whole-body plastinates and transparent slicesof whole bodies were perfected. Thecomplexity and work involved in prepar-ing these specimens far exceeds thecapacity of most interested institutes.Preparing a technically correct, whole-body plastinate does, after all, require1,000 to 1,500 man-hours.

The aim of the IfP is to produce humanspecimens and make them availableboth for basic and continuing medicaltraining as well as for the general med-ical education of the public. The speci-mens are prepared solely for this pur-pose and only passed on directly to rec-ognized educational and research estab-lishments and scientific museums, butnot to private individuals or dealers.

The objectives of the IfP can be sum-marized as follows:

(1) Improving overall anatomicalinstructionThe IfP produces high-quality edu-cational specimens for anatomicalinstruction at universities andother teaching institutions.

(2) Improving awareness of medicalissues, particularly among the gen-eral publicThe IfP produces plastinatesaimed at educating non-medicalprofessionals and restores publicaccess to the anatomy of thehuman body.

(3) Popularizing and developing plasti-nation techniquesThe IfP disseminates plastinationexpertise around the world, allow-ing other teaching institutions toprofit from this unique process.The IfP also pursues scientificobjectives and strives continuallyto develop and refine the tech-niques of plastination and theresulting anatomical specimens. Itis aided in these endeavors by vis-

iting scientists and scholarshipholders from national and interna-tional universities.

There are now more than 400 plastina-tion laboratories in 40 countries aroundthe world using plastination to preparespecimens for academic study. Despiteall of the progress made to date, theneed for further research is immense.For example, tests need to be performedon new polymers that could be used toretain the color of tissues and toimprove plastination results for speci-mens such as the eye, which are diffi-cult to preserve.Every two years, participants at theInternational Plastination Conferencehave the opportunity of exhibiting theplastinates that they have produced. Inaddition, the International Society forPlastination and its publication TheJournal of the International Society ofPlastination provide additional forumsfor experts in the field to exchangeinformation concerning advances in thescientific application of the process.Current issues include how slice plasti-nates can be used to show complex sys-tems such as the blood supply to thebones of the wrist or how to display sub-tle structures such as the muscles andnerves surrounding the prostate. Thesetissues are critical for proper sexualfunctioning and understanding them isan extremely important means of obtain-ing precision when planning delicatesurgical procedures.

The Body Donor Program of the IfP

The High Demand for Plastinated Speci-mensAlthough the eminent importance ofplastination for medical study has beenacknowledged and there is a great dealof interest in the process, for years nowthe demand for high-quality plastinatedspecimens for instructional purposes hasnot been met. This is due to the follow-ing reasons:

16

Visitors at BODY WORLDS

legal gray area which the tabloid presscan always interpret as something scan-dalous, accusing people of getting richat the expense of the dead. The realquestion is whether such claims arefueled by a legitimate interest or by sen-sationalism, but this is not an issue forthe scientific world to resolve. It is aproblem for the respective media andtheir audiences.There are many people who would liketo donate their bodies to medical sci-ence after their deaths. One means ofdoing so is to work with the anatomicalinstitutes of universities. However, suchestablishments are unable to pass onspecimens to other academic institu-tions in need of such bodies, as costswould be incurred for which they do notwant to issue invoices if body donorshave not agreed to a sale. In addition,“services” like these are technically notwithin the declared province of a univer-sity in most countries. This situation isparticularly awkward, as anatomicalinstitutes frequently have to turn downprospective body donors, because theyalready have more than enough bodiesfor their own instruction.

Helping to Meet the NeedThere is a clear disparity between thenumber of potential body donors on theone hand and the shortage of preservedspecimens (especially plastinated ones)on the other hand. As a result of this,many scientific projects and academicefforts are doomed to failure.The body donor program of the IfP isworking toward correcting this situation.To date, Gunther von Hagens has creat-ed body donor programs for plastinationin Heidelberg, Kyrgyzstan, the Peoples'Republic of China, and North America.The IfP has made a concerted effort tosensitize other countries to body donorprograms; it has also attempted toestablish such programs concretelyusing an approach of gradual changemarked by mutual trust and cooperation.The success of this work as well as theresulting benefits to medical scienceand education are equally dependent on

tion, and education; and they remainanonymous.In most countries throughout the world,the practice of turning unclaimed bodiesover to anatomical institutes is commonlyaccepted and is often regulated by legis-lation. To cite one example, it has beendetermined by law that all unclaimedbodies in the state of Maryland (US) must be submitted to the State AnatomyBoard in Baltimore. There they are pre-served and then sent to interestedanatomical institutes for a fee. In Russia,comparable regulations on procuring bod-ies go back to decrees enacted by CzarPeter I and thus correspond to the senseof tradition of the Russian people. In Ger-many, the practice of passing alongunclaimed bodies for medical purposeswas common until the mid-1980s. It hasdiminished, however, because of the con-stant number of people who have donatedtheir bodies to science. The problematic definition of what consti-tutes a corpse is addressed in detail inGunther von Hagens' work entitled “Grimand Gruesome Corpses, Posed Plastinatesand Mandatory Burial” which can befound online at www.bodyworlds.com,under the section “media”.

Who Receives the Specimens?The IfP passes specimens along to cer-tain institutions. The recipients of thesespecimens are as follows:(1) The BODY WORLDS exhibition

receives posed plastinates, organs,and body parts from the Body Donorprograms. Several individual speci-mens as well as the majority ofembryos and fetuses were originallypreserved in formaldehyde in oldmuseum collections and were plasti-nated especially for the exhibition.

(2) The plastination institutes in Heidel-berg, China, and Kyrgyzstan receiveanonymous permanent anatomicalspecimens from established teach-ing institutions.

(3) The cooperation partners of the IfPuse, wherever possible, only speci-mens which are supplied by ourcooperation partners themselves.

(4) Institutions of higher learning andmuseums receive specimens thatcome from all of the IfP’s sources inaccordance with the agreements thathave been made.

Measures for Science and MedicalResearch

Various measures and projects are usedin pursuing the IfP's goals. These canbe grouped into the fields of scienceand research and general medical edu-cation. To further its goals in scienceand research, the IfP implements thefollowing measures:(1) Producing and supplying anatomi-

cal specimens exclusively to insti-tutes engaged in anatomy, patholo-gy, and forensic medicine at uni-versities throughout the world;

(2) Producing and supplying anatomi-

cal specimens for practice opera-tions such as procedures on thetemporal bone for ENT specialistsin training;

(3) Allocating body specimens forteaching and scientific projects formedical research establishmentsand medical engineering compa-nies;

(4) Producing and supplying tradition-al anatomical specimens fixed informalin, plastinates, skeleton andvessel specimens for thepurpose of training students;

(5) Producing and supplying anatomi-cal specimens to established nat-ural science museums;

(6) Producing our own specimens foranatomical atlases as well as acomputerized anatomical project(CD-ROM).

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Visitors at BODY WORLDS

“Rearing Horse with Rider,” Gunther von Hagens, 2002

your decision to become a body donor.Success hinges on people like you whoare generous enough to donate theirbodies to the future progress of medicalscience.

Handling Dead Bodies and Specimens

Plastination Institutes and CooperationPartnersIn its endeavors to improve anatomicalstudies and research, the IfP is supportedby numerous organizations which were

founded for this purpose. Gunther vonHagens serves as scientific director.There are also cooperative efforts withofficial state-certified anatomical insti-tutes.

Financial and Legal IssuesThe IfP is a private research institute thatdoes not receive any public funding orstate subsidies. Due to the high costs ofplastination development and production,the IfP can thus only provide specimensfor a fee. The understandable proviso thatno one should earn a profit from body

parts is addressed within the IfP's agree-ment with body donors for plastination.Donors fill out a form in which he or sheexplicitly declares that his or her body isbeing made available free of charge formedical instruction and educating thepublic. Purchases of specimens areinvoiced for “preservation work” or “plas-tination work,” but not for the specimensthemselves. Every invoice contains thefollowing declaration: “The specimen pro-vided is only available because it wasdonated for plastination to the IfP. Wethank the donor for this. There is nocharge for the specimen itself, only forthe production costs.” The fees mustcover the costs of preservation, dissec-tion, and plastination as well as financingthe cost of new developments in plastina-tion. On an international level, the IfPaims at eliminating any legal or ethicalreservations associated with the sale ofhuman specimens by ensuring that allthose involved are aware of the exactfacts.

Where do the specimens come from?The IfP obtains its anatomical specimensfrom the following sources:

(1) From the body donor programs listedabove;

(2) From established morphologicalinstitutes, in particular those foranatomy and pathology;

(3) By purchasing old anatomical collec-tions from established institutionsand museums.

Specimens that the IfP has obtained fromcooperation partners (such as universi-ties) or public museums stem from oldinstitutional collections and from corpsesthat were turned over for anatomical pur-poses in accordance with the respectivestate laws. These are not corpses asdefined by burial laws; instead, they arewhat is known as “permanent anatomicalspecimens.” They are distinguished fromcorpses as defined in burial laws by threethings: they have been preserved in adurable fashion; they are intended for thepurposes of anatomical studies, instruc-

18

my—individual organs, transparent ver-tical and horizontal slices of the body,and whole-body plastinates. The exhibi-tion is structured in such a way thatvisitors can experience it much as theywould a three-dimensional textbook:anatomy as the foundation of the bodyis laid out in an educational and eluci-dating fashion. Visitors can envisionhow their own bodies are constructedas they walk through the exhibition,starting with the human skeleton andthe way muscles are structured, on tothe intestines and special specimenson the nerves and blood vessels, all theway to the way a baby develops in theuterus. There are also specimens thatshow the effects of diseases such as aheart attack or cancer.The BODY WORLDS exhibition isintended to help educate people andprovide the opportunity for lay peoplein particular to gain a greater under-standing of the body and its functions.It is intended to help remind visitors ofhow natural our bodies are and createan impression of the unique characterand anatomical beauty of the body'sinterior. The exhibition has been onconstant display since 1995 and has

been shown in Japan, Germany, Aus-tria, Switzerland, Belgium, the UK,Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, the US, andCanada. To date, it has attracted over20 million visitors, making it the mostsuccessful traveling exhibition of alltimes.In spite of its great success and the

high levels of acceptance that visitorshave demonstrated, the controversialnature of BODY WORLDS continues toprovoke debate in the European citieswhere the exhibition was shown. Thetopic has been the focus of a long andparticularly heated dispute in Germany.Dr. Ernst-D. Lantermann, professor ofpersonality and social psychology at theUniversity of Kassel, developed anextensive representative survey of visi-tors and conducted his poll at manyexhibitions with the goal of neutralizingthe public debate. This was intended tocreate as objective a snapshot as possi-ble of the visitors' expectations,motives, and impressions of the exhibi-tion, and of how people planned tobehave in the future as a result of see-ing BODY WORLDS.The survey showed that hardly anyother exhibition has met with suchapproval. A total of 60% of those whoattended the exhibition stated that theauthenticity of the specimens on dis-play had a great impact on their under-standing of the body, and more of 58%of them said that they found the speci-mens aesthetically stimulating. Only aminority (5% on average) said that theyfelt it violated human dignity to show

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Projects for Medical Education

The BODY WORLDS ExhibitionIn the field of medical education, theIfP is heavily involved in coordinatingand constantly refining the travelingBODY WORLDS exhibition. Because ofthe high demand, three complete exhi-bitions have been created so that theycan be shown simultaneously in differ-ent cities. The medium-term plans ofthe IfP include creating additional exhi-bitions and establishing a museumabout the body.BODY WORLDS focuses on approx. 200authentic specimens of human anato-

20

More appreciation for body Valuable incentives for a healthier lifestyle

More thoughtful about life and death

Moral opinions offended Aesthetic appeal

Authentic specimens important to gain insight

More willing to donate bodyMore willing to donate organs than before

Six months after attending the exhibition, 9% of those interviewed in a follow-up survey indicatedthat they had smoked less or had given up smoking altogether since then.

Non-smoker’s lungs Smoker’s lungs

Immediate Didactic Success of Attending the BODY WORLDS Exhibitions

Assessment of Plastinates as Genuine Anatomical Specimens

Potential Personal Consequence of Attending the Exhibition

The general public, however, objectedstrongly, even though the event did notviolate any legal guidelines, and Gun-ther von Hagens acted in absolute com-pliance with the law. He plans to con-duct other events of similar nature infuture.

The Human Museum - A Future Project ofthe Institute for PlastinationIn every major city in the world thereare countless museums that exhibit theproducts of human culture, sometimesfeaturing highly unusual themes. How-ever, there is not a single museumabout humans themselves—an institu-tion that exhibits the anatomy ofhealthy and unhealthy human bodies inan aesthetically pleasing way usingauthentic specimens. The lungs, liver,kidneys, heart—the vital organs in ourbodies without which we would die—are never made visible to the public.One reason for this is that before plas-tination was discovered, there were notany suitable exhibits that would havebeen able to present a realistic but aes-thetic and authentic depiction of thehuman body without eliciting a sense

of disgust and decay. Anatomical dia-grams or models can only give animpression, in the same way that look-ing at a painting of a landscape or arti-

ficial trees cannot really tell you what itis like to be in a forest.

People also have genuine inhibitionsabout dealing with human specimens.When people see real anatomical speci-mens, they are confronted with theirown mortality and with death. There isalso a dichotomy between findingthoughts of death offensive and anhonest sense of curiosity about thetopic. As a result, specimens producedfrom those killed in traffic accidents,for example, can act like a magnet tosome people who respond with horrorand disgust but are unable to lookaway. Exhibitions on such controversialthemes are often described as pure“sensationalism and voyeurism.” How-ever, are these reactions not an indica-tion of people's genuine curiosity andtheir wish to know more about life,death, and how the human body works?Death stimulates equal measures ofrevulsion and fascination in most peo-ple and in society as a whole. Thiscould be one reason for the theory pro-

23

Public Autopsy, Gunther von Hagens, London 2002

Advertisement for the first public autopsy since 1830, performed by Gunther von Hagens.

22

such specimens of people's bodies.After the exhibition, 88% of the visitorssaid that they now knew more aboutthe human body, and more than 60%of them felt “more pensive about lifeand death.” Altogether, 79% expressed“immense respect for the miracle ofthe human body,” and 71% said thatthey were inspiredtremendously to leadhealthier lives in the future. Further-more, half of those surveyed stated thatthey appreciated their bodies moreafter having attended the exhibition.Overall, the largely positive expecta-

tions that people had before seeingBODY WORLDS were universallyupheld, while only a small minority feltthat their negative expectations wereconfirmed. A total of 71% of thosepolled said that they were determinedto pay more attention to their physicalhealth in the future. The exhibition alsobrought 26% of the visitors to see theact of donating organs in a more posi-tive light. Of those attending the exhi-bition, 23% could imagine donatingtheir bodies for plastination afterdeath, and 32% indicated that they

would now be more willing than beforeto “permit an autopsy to determine thecause of death more precisely.” Interms of the impact on changing visi-tors' attitudes, the BODY WORLDSexhibition has had a lasting and—inour opinion—extremely positive effecton those who have seen it. Three-quar-ters of the visitors said that they want-ed to spend more time thinking aboutthe insights and impressions that theyexperienced by attending the exhibi-tion.To determine the extent to which visi-tors have acted on their resolutionsafter seeing BODY WORLDS, anothersurvey was conducted in Vienna sixmonths after the exhibition ended. Ofthose who saw BODY WORLDS in Vien-na and participated in the survey (over30%), 9% said that they had smokedless and had drunk less alcohol afterhaving seen the exhibition. Almost33% had begun to eat more healthily,25% exercised more, and 14% paidmore attention to their physical wellbeing.

Publicity CampaignsAs part of his constant efforts to democ-ratize the field of anatomy, Gunther vonHagens also works with posed plasti-nates at public events in an attempt tocreate points of reference to everydaylife. This includes placing the figuresin public places or juxtaposing themwith living persons (which is also oneof the events held at BODY WORLDS).Another public event Gunther vonHagens has held was a public autopsyperformed in London in November2002—the first public dissection inalmost 180 years. His aim here was torevive the tradition of an anatomicaltheater and present an insight into theeveryday work of a pathologist. Thepublic autopsy of a German body donorwas conducted with the same solemnityand following the same medical proce-dures as it would have if it had beenperformed behind closed doors. Theaudience also followed the event withproper respect and great interest. “The Basketball Player,” Gunther von Hagens, photographed in Munich (Art Museum), 2003

“Get used to the idea that Death should not matter tous, for good and evil are based on sensation. Death,however, is the cessation of all sensation. Hence,Death, ostensibly the most terrifying of all evils, hasno meaning for us, for as long as we exist, Death willnot be present. When Death comes, then we will nolonger be in existence.”

Epicurus (342-271 BC) Greek Philosopher

4. Donating Bodies

24

posed by some medical experts that laypeople should not be confronted withhuman specimens—it would be toomacabre, too unethical. The counter-

argument to this reasoning would bethat every year, thousands of studentsin medical professions work with cadav-ers to study human anatomy and are

not traumatized by it.For this reason, a long-term goal of theIfP is to establish a museum about thebody at a permanent location.

“The Javelin Thrower,” Gunther von Hagens, 2002

topic of death had been taboo for meever since my two brothers had died.And when my mother decided todonate her body to your Institute aswell and I saw your wonderful exhibi-tion in Hamburg, I knew that it wastime for me and my husband to makearrangements to get a donor identifica-tion card. Thank you.”

“In the course of my training as ateacher for preschoolers and the handi-capped, part of my studies involvedauditing classes at the university'spathology department. The impressiveskills that the pathologists demonstrat-ed in their work with cadavers made itclear to me how important these kindsof exhibitions are for our training aswell as for science and research. Evenat that time, I felt inspired to donatemy body to the university for scientificresearch after my death. The discoveryof plastination and its development isa great step forward for us.”

“The time has come for medicine tobe accessible to a wider audience aswell, and not only to doctors. We areall people with the same anatomicalstructures, and we all have the sameright to understand our bodies.”

“I went to the exhibition in Hamburg.I was very moved by the exhibits, andI made a firm decision: I, too, want tobe plastinated. The thought of beingburied in the earth after my death is ahorrible one as far as I'm concerned,because I am completely disgusted byworms and grow panicky when I thinkof them. Now I can relax about the issue,though, since I can stay above groundafter my death and may even have achance to “experience” trips (i.e.exhibitions) to many different places.As far as I'm concerned, the icing onthe cake is the money you can save ifyou don't have to be buried and main-tain a plot for years and years.”

“I saw the exhibition in Berlin andcame away with a different attitude

about many issues involving the body.The perfect mechanism of the humanbody's functioning should be givenmore attention and kept in better shapein terms of prevention and exercise,stress, relaxation, and disease. Peoplewho have health problems because oftheir own unhealthy choices (smoking,obesity) ought to have to pay more fortheir health insurance. In this day andage, every phase of development thatthe human body undergoes ought to betreated as a perfectly normal part oflife that is equal to every other. Thereshould not be any moralizing on theknowledge available to us about theramifications and about death as thefinal phase. Family members should beaccorded proper respect while they arestill alive; it is difficult to keep up fam-ily burial plots after death.”

“Death is part of life, but it is still ataboo. Personally I have been thinkingfor quite some time about what oughtto happen to my body when I'm gone. Inever wanted a regular funeral. Unfor-tunately, there is little information tobe found about alternatives. Right afterI saw Gunther von Hagens on televi-sion, I decided to be plastinated. Bothof my sons have accepted my decisionwholeheartedly.”

How Can I Donate My Body for Plastination?

First of all, by giving your consent todonate your body for plastination, you arenot signing any sort of contract, merely adeclaration of intent. No fees must bepaid for a body to be donated, and thedonor will not receive any money.

There are a few steps that you can taketo ensure that your body is donated forplastination after your death. You mustmake the following arrangements:(1) Complete the “Donating Your Body

for Plastination—Donor’s Consent”form in duplicate, sign both copiesand return them to us.

(2) For better preservation results, edu-

cational and research purposes, it ishelpful for the IfP to know detailsabout the kind and course of dis-ease(s), if any, are known and tohave permission to access thehealth records of body donors aftertheir death. If you agree to making these avail-able, you will have to authorize theIfP accordingly in writing. Four yourconvenience, you may fill out andsubmit the Medical History ReleaseAuthorization form with your DonorConsent form.

(3) Have at least one of your familymembers or relatives sign the DonorConsent form. If they are not infavor of your body donation, thenyour signature must be witnessed byan attorney on both forms.

(4) We will countersign one of theforms and return it to you to con-firm its receipt. You should file thiswith your personal documents orgive it to a relative for safekeeping.You will also be given an identifica-tion card as a body donor.

Are There Conditions for Donating My Body?

A few conditions must be met for a dona-tion, but there are not as many as youmight think:

- The age of the body being donateddoes not matter. On the one hand, theshape of the organs does not vary muchwith age, and on the other hand, med-ical students will probably have to treatpatients of all ages when they are qual-ified physicians.

- It is also possible to be a regular organdonor in addition to donating your bodyfor plastination. Donating an organ cansave lives and is therefore always givenpriority over donating a body.

- The presence of a disease is not gener-ally detrimental to donating your body;after all, medical students must learnto recognize these conditions. The dif-ferences between organs from one bodyto the next are essential for proper

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Motivations and Thoughts of Body Donors

People want to be plastinated after theirdeath for a number of reasons. The pre-dominant desire is to serve medicalresearch. The following is a small selec-tion of quotations from talks and lettersabout becoming a body donor for plasti-nation.

“I am following my father's example: I wantto make myself useful, even after death.There are several doctors in my family;this meant that I had a chance to attendan anatomy course with my sister whenshe studied medicine at the University ofFrankfurt am Main and was allowed toexperience for myself what the dissectionof an embalmed cadaver involves. I became so convinced of the importanceof anatomical studies that I decided thatI would leave my body to science as myfather had.”

“I am fascinated by the thought of livingon as a plastinate and being preservedfor posterity—rather like the mummiesin ancient Egypt. And it would not both-er me if people at the exhibition touchedmy plastinated body, because I knowhow curious people are. Even thethought of traveling around as a plasti-nate is appealing—from exhibition toexhibition. From city to city. From coun-try to country. From continent to conti-nent! Or finding a new home in a muse-um. Or a university! The only thing thatremains after death is a body that was ahome for our souls, and they have moved

on. And the body may not have beenthe best home for the soul anyway.”

“Both of my brothers died at a veryearly age. When I was a 14-year-old girland watched as they were laid in agrave and buried, it was perfectly clearto me: ‘I don't ever want to be buried!’

But there are not many other options.So when my little sister told me aboutyour work, I said right away, ‘That's it!That's how you will be able to confrontthe thought of dying.’ Until then, the

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“The Runner,” Gunther von Hagens, 1997

The IfP will make a decision on an indi-vidual basis in the event of any of thefollowing: the deceased has died of ahighly contagious or infectious disease; itis not clear who will pay for the trans-portation costs; or any other unforeseencircumstances that may arise. We areunder no legal obligation to accept abody.

How Does My Body Get to the Institute forPlastination?

When a donor dies, the next of kin shouldnotify the nearest body donor office andmake arrangements with a funeral homefor the body to be transported to the IfPor, for North American donors, to anassigned embalming facility in the USas soon as possible. In warm seasons,arrival at the IfP should not take longerthan two or three days after death; dur-ing the colder months, the interval canbe up to ten days.The regular formalities that arise whensomeone dies must be handled beforethe body can be transferred. Pleaserefer to a separate leaflet provided bythe IfP for specific contact detailsregarding body donation in North Ameri-ca and Europe. If death occurs on aSunday or a holiday when the Institutefor Plastination is not open and if thedeceased died at home, local undertak-ers can be called in and asked to takethe body to their mortuary for the timebeing. The next of kin or the funeralhome should then contact the IfP intimely fashion so that the necessaryarrangements can be made.

What Happens to a Body during Plastination?

We have already discussed the processof plastination in this brochure. When abody reaches the IfP, the first step is tostop the decomposition process, eitherby deep-freezing the body or by injectinga fixing agent into the blood vessels.Ideally, the next stage is to consult thedeceased's medical records to plan how

to proceed. A decision is reached as tohow the organs, parts of the body, oreven the whole body will be plastinated,bearing in mind any medical conditions,cause of death, and the wishesexpressed by the deceased. Otherpreparatory work will include injectingthe vessels with contrasting plastics,emphasizing the muscles or internalorgans, or producing large slices thatwill subsequently be made transparent.In principle, the whole body can be usedfor plastination, as all of the organs andparts of the body, whether healthy ordiseased, are important for medicaltraining. The remains that are notrequired such as connective tissue, partsof the skin, and bits of bone are inciner-ated in the same way as surgical wasteand amputated body parts are. Thismeans that virtually nothing will be leftbehind. If, under exceptional circum-stances, large parts of the body cannotbe plastinated, there is also the optionof cremation and anonymous burial atthe cemetery.Scientific postmortem examinations thatthe IfP perfoms deal with the normalanatomy of the human body. Diseasesand causes of death are only investigat-ed with respect to their significance formedical training. As a result, when itcomes to issues such as the cause ofdeath, the IfP cannot provide conclusiveand complete information similar to thatwhich is determined in the course of anautopsy.

What Costs Are Incurred?

The donors or their next of kin must payfor the body to be sent to the IfP or anIfP embalming facility. The IfP does notcharge a fee for donating bodies or forplastinating them; there are also no bur-ial costs.

Where Can I Obtain Further Information?

Body Donor MeetingsThe IfP hosts regularly scheduled infor-

mational events for those who want todonate their bodies for plastination. Thisis an opportunity to view specimens,learn more about new developments inplastination, and network with eachother. All donors are warmly invited toattend and will receive advance noticein writing about the dates.

29

anatomical training, and this is wheregenuine, permanent specimens trulyhave an advantage over artificial mod-els.

- Amputated limbs also do not representan obstacle to becoming a body donor.

The IfP is grateful to receive your donatedbody. The following conditions must befulfilled:(1) The donor has to have died of natur-

al causes.(2) The body must be largely intact, i.e.,

it cannot have been subjected to apostmortem examination for patho-logical or forensic reasons. The IfP

is also unable to accept bodies thathave been severely disfigured as theresult of an accident. If a fatal acci-dent does occur and parts of thebody are severed as a result, thebody will have to undergo a post-mortem examination in any case.This is usually necessary to clarifyissues relating to liability and/orinsurance claims.

(3) We must have written consent fromthe donor (the form “Donating YourBody for Plastination – Donor Con-sent”) or, if applicable, a relative.There is no fee for donating yourbody. If the IfP receives a body from

relatives or the authorities withouthaving written consent from thedeceased, the body can only beaccepted if neither the deceased norany relatives have voiced any objec-tions.

(4) By giving consent, a body donoralso agrees that he or she will notbe buried, as the whole body isused for plastination.

If the body is not suitable for plastina-tion, e.g., because decomposition is tooadvanced, it will be used for instructionalspecimens to whatever extent is possible,e.g. for producing bone or ligament spec-imens.

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“Cartilage-Ligament Skeleton,” Gunther von Hagens, 1996

“The Thinker,” Configuration of Blood Vessels, Gunther von Hagens, 2002

“The Swordsman,” Gunther von Hagens, 2000

Postscript by Gunther von Hagens: Ensuring the Future of IfP‘s Body-Donor Program

Like anatomy lessons at universities, plas-tination is dependent on people who are willing to donate their bodies after death. By donating your body for plastination, you can make a very special contribution both to the training of future physicians and other medical professionals and to the education of the general public, because the specimens will not only be available for a short period. They will be used for educational purposes on a long-term basis. Medical professionals take care of our health throughout our lives. By donating your body, you will not be adding your voice to the chorus of complaints that doctors are poorly trained. Instead, you will be doing everything possible as a lay-man to improve their level of training. By donating your body to plastination, you will be passing on the medical care given to you, which started even before your birth to future generations.

The body donor program of the IfP is de-signed to survive in the long run. However, since not everything can be predicted in advance and nothing lasts forever, it cannot be stated for certain that every donation can always be accepted at every point in time in the future.I will make every effort to continue to develop the IfP into a successful, interna-tionally recognized institute from which in-terested medical training centers can buy anatomical specimens without ethical res-ervations. The specimens will be used in public museums so that medical experts and lay persons alike can have the oppor-tunity to see normal anatomy and diseases

of the human body with a previously unattainable level of authenticity. Further-more, the IfP will continue to develop and perfect the art of plastination. At the same time, I assure you that I will do every-thing in my power to make certain that every body donated is used to its greatest potential in order to enhance knowledge about the healthy and diseased anatomy of the human body among lay people, students, and medical professionals and to foster medical research. The scientific

work of the IfP will certainly continue after the end of my career or the event of my death. Finally, I would like to thank you for your interest in donating your body for plastination. I would be happy to welcome you among the circle of donors, which includes my family and myself.

Dr. Gunther von Hagens

Appendix

Dr. med. Gunther von Hagens

Curriculum Vitae

11/10/45 Born in Alt-Skalden/Posen, former Eastern Germany

1965–68 Studied medicine at the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, former Eastern Germany

1968–70 Imprisoned in Gera and Cottbus after a failed attempt to defect;

liberated as a political prisoner by the West German government in August 1970

1970–73 Completion of medical studies at the University of Lübeck, Germany

1973–74 Internship at the Helgoland hospital

1974–75 Internship and doctorate completed in the anesthesia and emergency unit of the

University of Heidelberg, Germany

1975–77 Resident at the Anatomical Institute, University of Heidelberg, Germany

1977–78 Resident at the Pathological Institute, University of Heidelberg, Germany

1978–95 Anatomist at the Anatomical Institute, University of Heidelberg, Germany

1977–95 Discovered and developed plastination process

1979–94 Organized and held plastination courses in German and English

1980–95 Numerous lectures about plastination in over 25 countries

1982 Began the Body Donation Programm for Plastination

1984–96 Served as keynote speaker at 8 international plastination conferences in the US,

Germany, Canada, Austria, and Australia

1993 Established the Institute for Plastination in Heidelberg, Germany; Scientific Director

1996 Appointed visiting professor at the Dalian Medical University, China

1996 Founded a plastination center at the State Academy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and

at the Dalian Medical University, China; Scientific Director

1999 Named honorary professor at the Kyrgyz State Medical Academy, Kyrgyzstan

2001 Founding of the “Von Hagens Plastination (Dalian) Co. Ltd.” in Dalian, PR China

2004 Named visiting professor at the New York University College of Dentistry, USA

2006 Founding of the Gubener Plastinate GmbH and opening of the PLASTINARIUM

in Guben, Germany, a plastination workshop and anatomical exhibition open to

the public.

Gunther von Hagens is a member of the following organizations:

German Anatomical Society, International Society for Plastination (honorary member), Rumanian Anatomical

Society (honorary member), American Association of Anatomists

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Literature

PatentsGerman patent 27 10 147 (1978), British patent 1 558 802 (1984), Belgian patent 863.949 (1978),South African patent 78/1330 (1980), Austrian patent 360 272 (1980), USA patents 4,205,059 (1981),4,244,992 (1981), 4,278,701 (1982), 4,320,157.

Major Scientific PublicationsG. von Hagens: “Verfahren zur verbesserten Ausnutzung von Kunststoffen bei der Konservierung biologischerPräparate” (“Process for Improved Exploitation of Polymers in the Preservation of Biological Tissue”). Specification DE 32 32 756 A1, German Patent Office, Munich (1982).

G. von Hagens: “Heidelberger Plastinationshefter” (“Heidelberg Plastination Folder”), 160 pages (1985/86),Anatomical Institute of the University of Heidelberg, INF 307, 69120 Heidelberg.

G. von Hagens, K. Tiedemann, W. Kriz: “The Current Potential of Plastination,” “Anatomy and Embryology”(1987) 175, p. 411–421.G. von Hagens: “Impregnation of Soft Biological Specimens with Thermosetting Resins and Elastomers,”Anatomical Record (1979) 194, p. 247–255.

G. von Hagens/A. Whalley/R. Maschke/W. Kriz: “Cross-Sectional Anatomy of the Human Brain. A PhotographicAtlas of Plastinated Series of Body Slices,” Darmstadt 1990: Steinkopff Publishers (ISBN3–7985–0780–5).

G. von Hagens/L. J. Romrell/M. H. Ross/K. Tiedemann: “The Visible Human Body. A Photographic Atlas ofPlastinated Slices of the Human Body,” Philadelphia/London 1991: Lea & Febiger publishers (ISBN 0–8121–1269–5). Translated into German, Spanish and Japanese.

Related LiteratureG. von Hagens/A. Whalley: “BODY WORLDS: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies,” exhibition catalog, Heidelberg, 14thedition 2004: Institute for Plastination.

F. J. Wetz/B. Tag (Ed.): “Schöne Neue Körperwelten – Der Streit um die Ausstellung,” (“Brave New BodyWorlds: The Controversy surrounding the Exhibition”) Stuttgart 2001: Klett-Cotta publishers (ISBN3–608–94311–0); in particular, the essay by G. von Hagens entitled: “Grim and Gruesome Corpses, PosedPlastinates and Mandatory Burial,” p. 40–84.

F. J. Wetz: “Tote hoch zu Ross. Vom Triumph der Statue zum Verbot des Plastinats,” (“Corpses Tall in the Saddle.From the Triumph of Statues to a Ban on a Plastinate”) Heidelberg 2003: Arts & Sciences Publishers (ISBN3–937256–00–8).

F. J. Wetz: “Die Würde der Menschen ist antastbar: eine Provokation” (“Human rights are not inviolable: aprovocation”), Stuttgart 1998: Klett-Cotta Publishers (ISBN 3-608-91908-2).

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“The Autopsy Body,” Gunther von Hagens, 2003

Linkswww.koerperwelten.comwww.bodyworlds.com

www.bodymobil.dewww.plastinarium.de

www.biodur.dewww.koerperspender.de