Plastination

The Ponderer exhibit at the Body Worlds show.

1. Thesis: Plastination is technique used in anatomy to preserve bodies or body parts. The water and fat are replaced by certain plastics, yielding specimens that can be touched, do not smell or decay, and even retain most microscopic properties of the original sample.

File:Plastination-process.jpg

2.Standard Process: Water and lipid tissues are replaced by curable polymers. A. Curable polymers used by plastination include silicone, epoxy, and polyeste- copolymer. B. Requires four main steps:The first step of plastination is fixation. This simply means that the body is embalmed, usually in a formaldehyde solution, in order to halt decomposition. After any necessary dissections take place, the specimen is then placed in a bath of acetone. Under freezing conditions, the acetone draws out all the water and takes its place inside the cells. In the third step, the specimen can then be placed in a bath of liquid polymer, such as silicone rubber, polyester or epoxy resin. By creating a vacuum, the acetone is made to boil. As the acetone vaporizes and leaves the cells, it draws the liquid polymer in behind it, leaving a cell filled with liquid plastic. The plastic must then be cured, either with gas, heat, or UV light, in order to harden it. A specimen can be anything from a full human body to a small piece of an animal organ, and they are known as either "plastins" or "plastinates".

Standard process of plastination.

-Fixation
-Dehydration
-forced impregnation
-hardening
-Posing

File:Plastinate-forming.jpg

Posing of Plastinates

3. History: In November of 1978 Dr. Gunther von Hagens applied for a US Patent. He proposed the idea of preserving animal and vegetable tissues permanently by synthetic resin impregnation. Since then Dr. von Hagens has applied for two more US Patents. The final one coming in May of 1982 when Dr. von Hagens received a Patent by the United States government for his work on preserving biological tissues with polymers. Since then the art form know as Plastination has been an ongoing battle of art vs. ethics. With the success of his Patents, von Hagens went on to form the Institute of Plastination in Hidelberg, Germany in 1993. The Institute of Plastination, along with Dr. von Hagens made their first showing of plastinated bodies on the island of Japan in 1995, which drew over three million people (Barboza 3). Before Dr. von Hagens was made famous by his work on the human body exhibit Body Worlds, he was in partnership with another doctor by the name of Dr. Sui Hongjin. Since their split von Hagens Body Worlds has taken in "over $200 million by displaying preserved, skinless human corpses with theri well-defined muscles and sinewy tissues" (Barboza 1). Dr. Sui Hongjin has also found resent success with his own anatomy display called, Bodies...The Exhibition. However, it should be known that where Dr. von Hagens uses only donated bodies his protege Dr. Hongjin uses unclaimed bodies from Chinese mental hospitals, along with other bodies that were not able to be properly buried.

4. Other plastination methods include:

A. Core- tech room temp procedure
B. Epoxy E12 procedure
C. Polyester P35 (P40)- procedure

5. Plastination Galleries are offered in exhibits and numerous college medical schools A. Body Works Exhibit B. College exhibits: University of Michigan, Vienna University, etc.

6. Plastination is useful in Anatomy as well as serving as models and teaching tools. A. Elementary and Middle schools are using plastinated animals and body parts for teaching tools

7.Plastination, in comparison to the cheap and inexpensive plastic coating preserving process has been found to be more flexible, durable, and life like. Mainstream preservation leaves the bodies water in place and adds chemicals; plastination replaces water with polymers (silicone, epoxy, or polyester), and are allowed to harden. Other methods have been in place for thousands of years to help with the decomposition of the body. Mummification used by the Egyptians is a widely know method which involves the removal of body fluid and wrapping the body in linens. Prior to mummification, Egyptians would lay the body in a shallow pit in the desert and allow the sun to dehydrate the body. Formalin, an important solution to body preservation, was introduced in 1896 to help with body preservation. Soon to follow formalin, color preserving embalming solutions where developed to preserve lifelike color and flexibility to aid in the study of the body. Paraffin impregnation was introduced in 1925 and the embedding of organs in plastic was developed in the 60s’. Body preservation methods current to the twenty-first century are cryopreservation which involves the cooling of the body to very low temperatures to preserve the body tissues, plastination and embalming. Plastination is used in hundreds of laboratories worldwide to help with the teaching and study of the body.

8. Concern over consent of bodies has arisen. Over 20 years ago Von Hagen set up a body donation program in Germany and has signed over 5000 donors into the plastinate program. The program has reported an average of one body a day coming into the program. Ninety percent of the bodies donated have been German. German journalists investigated bodies being inserted into the plastinate program and found that certain bodies were taken without consent. Although Von Hagens says he follows strict consent procedures for whole-body specimens, he maintains that "consent is not important for body parts." Von Hagen’s body donations are now being managed by the Institute for Plastination (IfP) established in 1993.

To conclude, Dr. von Hagens has the attention of the entire scientific community. With his never ending strive to reach new hights with his 'art' work. He has been seen as a monster. Others have called him "Dr. Death", whatever the case Gunther von Hagens has given the world an inside view of the human body. Without the grotesque images that are forever embedded into your brain when you see his shows, the layperson would never be able to fully understand the human body. The disections that are gut-wrenching were once living, breathing human beings. Everyone who has ever thought about giving back should take a look at what these selfless souls have given the rest of the world...education.

Donation Procedures

The procedure to donate your body for Plastination after your death is as follows:

Read the information brochure on DONATING YOUR BODY FOR PLASTINATION carefully.
Fill in this form in duplicate.
Sign both copies of the form
Sign the body donor identity card.
Send the completed documents and ID card to Gunther von Hagens (see address below).
Witness signatures on the forms are optional,

but may help make this gift effective if there is any questions at the time of your death.

If your relatives object to you donating your body for Plastination, you may wish to also have a lawyer witness your signature on both forms.

We will countersign one of the forms and return it to you by way of confirmation. You should retain the countersigned copy with your personal files, or give it a relative or your doctor for safe keeping. We will also laminate your signed body donor identity card and return it to you. You should carry your body donor identity card with you at all times. You may withdraw your consent to donate your body at any time, by sending us a letter, signed by you, stating that you have withdrawn your consent. You need not provide a reason for withdrawing your consent. Your consent will be deemed withdrawn as soon as we receive your signed letter. In case of death, the nearest embalming facility that works under the guidance of Gunther von Hagens should be contacted. The nearest embalming facility can be identified by reviewing the separate “Embalming Information Sheet” that will be provided to you and regularly updated as the US body donor program expands. Updates and other body donor information are also available on the “body donation” link of www.bodyworlds.com.

Your contact details

Last Name

First Name

Date of Birth :

Place of Birth

Street

City

State, Zip Code : Phone

Fax

E-Mail

Cell Phone

Body Donation Program for – Donor‘s consent – Please send your completed forms and any questions you may have to:

Dr. Gunther von Hagens

c/o Georgina Gomez

North American Body Donor Office

PO Box 34001, Granada Hills, CA 91394

You can also contact the IfP body donation program at bodydonation@plastination.com with any questions.

Other exhibitors

In 2004 the publicly traded US company Premier Exhibitions Inc. began their "Bodies Revealed" exhibition in Blackpool, England which ran from August through October 2004. In 2005 and 2006 the company opened their Bodies Revealed and Bodies...The Exhibition exhibitions in Seoul (South Korea), Tampa (Florida) and New York (NY) respectively. Another exhibition site in 2006 was the Houston Museum of Natural Science in Houston (Texas). The West Coast exhibition site opened on June 22nd, 2006 at the Tropicana Resort & Casino Las Vegas NV. Exhibit now at Boston Museum of Science as of December 27th, 2006. http://www.bodyworlds.com/en/bodydonation/body_donation_program.html

External links

A graphic guide to plastination at Science Buzz*
Preservation by Plastination, on Body Worlds page
Polymer Preservation: The Process
[1]Discovery, March 2004, 'Gross Anatomy by Alan Burdick'
Little Death Drives is a literary novel about plastination and is available as a free download

Links from the Institute of Biomedical Science

Film references