What is Plastination?
Invented by Dr. Gunther von Hagens, the plastination process replaces the natural fluids in the body with reactive plastics that are initially pliable, but then harden after infusion. By hardening the plastic in the specimens, the bodies may be fixed into life-like poses, which illustrates how our bodies respond internally to everyday activities.
Even though a major German encyclopedia (the 19th edition of the Brockhaus Encyclopedia, 1992) indicates that the word “Plastination” is derived from the Greek (from plassein = to shape, to form), the term is, in fact, a creation of Gunther von Hagens. He coined the term because “plastification” already had a fixed meaning in the field of polymer chemistry, and the expression used in the original patents of 1977/78 (“Polymer Impregnation of Perishable, Biological Specimens”) was not terribly catchy and was utterly inadequate for popularizing the new technology, particularly abroad. The following will provide an explanation of how Plastination works. We will first present the process in a general, comprehensible manner; for those with an interest, we will then go into more detail regarding the chemicals and chemical processes used. A process at the interface of the medical discipline of anatomy and modern polymer chemistry, Plastination makes it possible to preserve individual tissues a
Organic decay makes it difficult for us to study human anatomy and for centuries, scientists have been searching for better preservation techniques. • Plastination, invented by German anatomist Dr. Gunther von Hagens in 1977, is a process whereby all bodily fluids and soluble fats are replaced with reactive plastics that harden after curing with light, heat or gas. All tissue structures are retained. • Unlike plastic models, plastinated specimens are intricate, REAL displays of human anatomy. • It takes an average of 1,500 hours to transform a specimen into a whole-body plastinate. • Plastinated specimens are dry and odorless and retain their natural structure—in fact, they are identical to their pre-preservation state down to the microscopic level. • “Slice Plastination” is a special variation of this preservation technique. Frozen body specimens are cut into slices which are then plastinated. Plastinated organs and body slices are a useful teaching aid for cross-sectional anatomy whi
Invented by scientist and anatomist Dr. Gunther von Hagens in 1977, Plastination is the groundbreaking method of halting decomposition and preserving anatomical specimens for scientific and medical education. Plastination is the process of extracting all bodily fluids and soluble fat from specimens, replacing them through vacuum forced impregnation with reactive resins and elastomers, and then curing them with light, heat, or certain gases, which give the specimens rigidity and permanence.
Plastination is a unique process invented by Dr. Gunther von Hagens to preserve specimens for medical education. The process replaces water in the body tissues with fluid plastics that harden after vacuum-forced impregnation. Hardening the plastic in the specimens allows the bodies to be fixed into lifelike poses, which illustrate how our bodies respond, internally, to movements in everyday and athletic activities.
