Worlds Body Exhibition

All text is translated from the Russian language, we apologize in advance for spelling errors.

"Body Worlds" - a traveling exhibition, where on display are exposed human remains (bodies of all or only some authorities) which passed a special treatment to provide for their long-term preservation. Creator of the now famous exhibition is a German anatomist Gunther von Hagens, the developer of the process of plastination - the very method that allows a very long time to keep the dead bodies. (Note: The materials presented in this Photonews may seem unpleasant or scary!)

In the process of plastination water and fat contained in the body, replaced by a special plastic (can be used by latex, polyester, and various special rubber). Treated this way the body is called "plastinatom.

Plastinat does not rot, does not publish putrid smell, it can be touched. Plastination is maintained even when cell structure and topography of the dead tissues of the body.

Gunther von Hagens himself said that he had discovered a method of plastination accident. In 1977, he worked as an assistant in the Anatomical Institute at Heidelberg University, and when he oversaw the production of anatomical preparations, he got the idea did not fill their polymer and injected into the polymer.

The first patent for his invention of Gunther von Hagens has received in 1979, Since then he has further improved its method, and today plastination allows you to receive the most durable anatomical specimens.

As a scientific method of plastination enjoyed such success that it has allowed Gunther von Hagens found in 1993, Institute for Plastination own. First, the institution was engaged only in production of unique teaching aids for medical schools. But soon it was designed equipment, with which it was possible to expose Plastination is not only small samples, and the whole body (in the production of the required plastinata 1,500 man-hours).

And the first exhibition processed so dead held in Tokyo in 1995 The exhibition has caused great interest, it was visited by more than three million viewers, and, of course, mixed reactions from the public.

Of course, if for such an exhibition be used only synthetic materials, it would be possible to talk about her ideology aside and the skill of sculptors. But here as a museum exhibit uses real human body, and it is not used in some purely scientific purposes, but simply on display. This is, after all, is very similar to some high-tech mockery of corpses.

Over the next two years, Gunther von Hagens has organized the work of his famous controversial exhibition "Body Worlds", where the exposed bodies of humans and animals, transformed into plastinaty. Body of people with skin removed were installed in living poses, many of the body at the same time cut into several strips so you can see the internal structure.

For the production of trade show exhibits, "Body Worlds" Gunther von Hagens has hired 340 professionals who are working in five laboratories located in four different countries. The most difficult part of making a giraffe exhibit, exhibited in the "Body Worlds 3". For its production took three years of work - this is ten times more than is required for the production of an exhibit of human corpses.

The position of artistic director of the exhibition "Worlds of the body" is Angelina Valley (Angelina Whalley) - Gunther von Hagens wife. Gunther von Hagens says his goal is to create a "Museum of Man, where she would be a permanent exhibition dedicated to the human anatomy.

We claim that for plastinatov, is exhibiting the human body as a whole, used exclusively for the body of voluntary donors who bequeathed for this purpose by their bodies. In the donor program are eligible to participate only by people older than 18 years of age who have expressed their consent in writing.

Gunther von Hagens also asserts that the exhibits, he did not use any dead bodies from hospitals in Kyrgyzstan, nor the body of executed Chinese prisoners. Von Hagens even sued the German magazine Der Spiegel, which broadcasts reports that "Doctor Death" asked Chinese bodies of those executed for their exhibitions. Von Hagens said that the origin of bodies he did not know anything and that he returned seven corpses in China.

In October 2003 the Parliamentary Commission of Kyrgyzstan led investigation into the charges against Hagens charges that it illegally, and even without notifying relatives of the deceased, brought a few hundred bodies from prisons and hospitals in Kyrgyzstan. But Hagens replied that he only received nine bodies, and that these bodies are not used as exhibits in the exhibition.

Today quite a few people are willing to bequeath their bodies to Gunther von Hagens exhibition. In Germany alone there are more than nine thousand.

The doctor Hagens also bequeathed his body to the museum. After his death his body should be sawn in the finest records and send to different medical institutions.

Says the doctor himself (pictured) after his death, he will continue to teach anatomy at several universities, which he could not do in life.