Meet Gunther von Hagens
Inventor of Plastination & Founder of von Hagens Plastination
“I was looking at a collection of specimens embedded in plastic. It was the most advanced preservation technique then, where the specimens rested deep inside a transparent plastic block. I wondered why the plastic was poured and then cured around the specimens, rather than pushed into the cells, which would stabilize the specimen from within and literally allow you to grasp it.”
- Dr. Gunther von Hagens, Inventor of plastination and Founder of von Hagens Plastination
In the late 1970s, while working at the University of Heidelberg’s Institute of Pathology and Anatomy, Dr. Gunther von Hagens found himself examining specimens embedded in bulky blocks of plastic. He pondered a better way of preserving specimens that would offer unobscured views and allow kinesthetic learning. This notion was transformational and the genesis of plastination. After testing numerous techniques, Dr. von Hagens held the world’s first plastinate in his hand.
In 1978, Dr. von Hagens filed a patent for his invention with the German Patent Office. However, he had only scratched the surface of Plastination. The refinement of his invention and the creation of the first whole-body plastinate would take thirteen more years. Today, we operate the largest plastination facility in the world and provide Silicon Plastinates to more than 400 educational programs globally.
The journey of Gunther von Hagens
My interest in health and medicine came at an early age. I was hospitalized at the age of seven after an injury left me bleeding profusely. It was then that I was diagnosed with hemophilia. While the experience was life-changing it was not completely negative, I gained something that is still ingrained in me – a deep respect and admiration for healthcare providers. They were and continue to be my heroes.
A desire to improve medical education motivated me to establish von Hagens Plastination. I strive for those studying health and medicine to have access to the best teaching tools, utilizing plastinates to learn about the human body in a way that is not possible with models, books, or other learning tools.
I was always baffled as to why specimens were encased in plastic blocks, or in jars, behind glass. As a kinaesthetic learner, I knew the value in being able to touch and handle a specimen. This led me to invent plastination in 1977. However, I soon found that it was not only my anatomy students and those in our department who were interested in plastinates. People from all over the university had an interest, this delighted me and made me determined to bring plastinates and anatomy to the masses. I strongly believe in that anatomy should be democratized and not locked up in an ivory tower.
I knew that it would be essential to have plastinates originate from consenting donors. In a quest to bring plastination outside of a clinical setting, I approached the donors already registered with the anatomy department at the university to agree to donate their bodies instead for plastination. To my delight, the response was overwhelmingly positive and most of them agreed to become the first donors for plastination.
My goal was to propagate plastination which led me to found BIODUR® Products. To date, BIODUR continues to provide the tools needed for other institutions to perform plastination.
In the early 90s, plastination was growing in popularity among anatomists, but it was still widely unknown. I was determined to carry on. In 1993 I established the Institute for Plastination, to expand the reach of plastination. Soon after I was invited to present a display of human plastinates for a pharmaceutical company in Germany. It was well received, and I was feeling positive, but it was nothing compared to the first BODY WORLDS exhibition, which debuted in Japan in 1995. My expectations were exceeded –more than 450,000 people came in just 4 months! The Institute also manages our official body donation program, with more than 20,000 registered donors (including myself).
From there BODY WORLDS and plastination took off. We presented the exhibit in Germany, other parts of Europe, the US, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, and Africa. I was then invited by NYU to be a visiting professor at the College of Dentistry. BODY WORLDS has now been to more than 50 countries and has been seen by more than 54 million people. My wife, Dr. Angelina Whalley, and I have created various iterations of the exhibit, including two that focus on the animal kingdom. The journey has been fulfilling and thrilling.
The most rewarding part about presenting the exhibit is learning that BODY WORLDS has inspired young individuals to pursue careers in health and medicine. This led me to my current focus and establishing our laboratory in Guben. We have provided plastinates to more than 400 teaching institutions.
In 2008 I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, and I had to slow down to take care of my health. My personal assistant and physiotherapist, Rebecca Brewer, thankfully makes sure of this! I am beyond fortunate that I have a great team in my corner, including the experts you see on this website, and especially my son, Rurik von Hagens who manages our facilities, and Dr. Vladimir Chereiminskiy, my top scholar and Director of Anatomy and Plastination. Without their hard work and dedication, I don’t think we could continue this mission.
When I want to take a break from thinking about plastination I exercise, play my violin, table tennis, or chess with my son…but of course, digging into my vast library of anatomical books is my favorite past-time of all!