Particle.news
Download on the App Store
5 ARTICLES
·
4h ago

Gunther von Hagens, Creator of Body Worlds, Dies at 81

His family and the Institute for Plastination say they will honor his request to have his body preserved by plastination.

FILE - German Gunther von Hagens poses with a display from "Body Worlds" anatomy exhibit that puts real human specimens on show in Dallas, Texas, Jan. 23, 2007. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)
Image
FILE - Gunther von Hagen poses in front of the sculpture 'Rearing Horse with Rider' during the launch of Gunther von Hagens' Body Worlds museum in London, Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, file)
FILE - Doctor Gunther von Hagens, anatomist, inventor of and creator of Body Worlds The Original Exhibitions of Real Human Bodies known as Germany's 'Dr Death' , is seen in front of one of his works in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, June 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Ibrahim Usta, file)

Overview

  • Von Hagens’ death at age 81 was confirmed by his family and the Institute for Plastination, which issued a statement but gave no further medical details.
  • The family said it will carry out his stated wish that his body be made available for plastination so it can be preserved and displayed using the process he developed.
  • Von Hagens invented plastination in the 1970s, a technique that replaces body fluids with polymers to create durable, lifelike anatomical specimens.
  • His touring Body Worlds exhibitions reached millions worldwide and sparked sustained controversy, including legal and religious challenges, accusations of profiting from human remains, and a widely publicized public autopsy in London in 2002.
  • He established the Heidelberg-based Institute for Plastination and the Plastinarium in Guben, and his work reshaped public access to anatomy while prompting ongoing ethical debate about consent and the sourcing of specimens.