Gunther von Hagens, the German anatomist who generated both fascination and revulsion around the globe with his "Body Worlds" exhibits of preserved human corpses, has died. He was 81. Von Hagens' family and the Institute for Plastination, which he founded, said he died on Friday. A statement they issued on Monday gave no further details, reports the AP. Von Hagens had announced in 2010 that he was living with Parkinson's disease.
Von Hagens trod a fine line between science, entertainment, and commerce with his touring exhibits, at the heart of which was the so-called plastination process: replacing body fluids with liquid plastic that then hardens. That technique, which he started developing in the 1970s, prevented decay, left tissues intact, and allowed him to display preserved corpses and their inner organs. The resulting exhibition, "Body Worlds," first went on show in Japan in 1995.
The shows used the corpses of people who agreed to donate their bodies for plastination. Critics argued that von Hagens bordered on sensationalism with his works, which included a corpse riding a plastinated horse, and a pregnant woman with an eight-month-old fetus inside. During a "Body Worlds" show in London in 2002, the anatomist—wearing, as ever, his trademark black fedora—conducted Britain's first public autopsy in 170 years before a sellout crowd of hundreds, defying government warnings that it might be illegal.
The "Body Worlds" exhibits were shown in several American cities after making their US debut in Los Angeles in 2004. Monday's statement said it was von Hagens' wish that his body be made available for plastination and "his family will respect and carry out this wish." Read the full story for more on how he got his start.
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