Gunther von Hagens, the German anatomist behind the international Body Worlds exhibitions, has died at the age of 81. He passed away from a cerebral haemorrhage, having lived with Parkinson’s disease for nearly two decades.
Von Hagens developed 'plastination', a technique that replaces bodily fluids and fats with plastics to preserve human tissues. This allowed corpses to be displayed, often with skin removed to show skeletons, organs, and muscles, and manipulated into lifelike poses.
His Body Worlds exhibitions, which first opened in Japan in 1995, garnered both praise and criticism. While some viewed his work as illuminating physiology, others, including religious leaders and secular critics, found it contentious and repugnant. Over 58 million people have visited Body Worlds, and more than 20,000 individuals reportedly pledged to donate their bodies for plastination.
Von Hagens faced numerous legal challenges regarding the acquisition of cadavers and the morality of his displays. In 2002, he was accused of accepting 56 corpses without approval from a Russian pathologist, which were subsequently impounded and returned to Russia, though no charges were filed. He also conducted a public postmortem in London in 2002, which was argued to have breached the Anatomy Act of 1832, but again, no charges were filed.