Kansas Health Science University (KHSU) has introduced a plastination library, featuring a collection of specimens from von Hagens Plastination. They will enable medical students to study real human organs and anatomical structures preserved through plastination as detailed, durable "silent teachers." Through this collection, students can observe anatomical variation and relationships more clearly than in traditional dissection along.   The specimens arrived to Kansas from Germany earlier this year and will assist with the aim to deepen understanding of human form and function, bridging theory with tangible, three-dimensional learning.  

Director of the anatomy laboratory, Shannon Curran said, "We have to remember that dissection is an inherently destructive process, no matter who's doing it.  Preservation is key in plastination.  So, what we're getting out of it is a perfect product. And we're still getting all the key pieces, like variation and pathology because it's a real human body. We're getting it all."

Read more at the KHSU website here.