Angelina Whalley, Rurik von Hagens, Vladimir Chereminskiy, Rebecca Brewer,

Gunther von Hagens has never been one to follow convention. This article offers an intimate exploration of the challenges he faced, the motivations that fuelled his relentless pursuit of innovation, and the passion that transformed him from a dedicated anatomist into a public figure and speaker. It traces his journey from adversity to acclaim, revealing the personal battles behind his scientific triumphs. To many, he is the eccentric genius who transformed anatomical education, a man whose work straddles science and art, controversy and acclaim. But to those who know him beyond his revolutionary invention, plastination, he is something much more: a tireless dreamer, a defiant survivor, and a man who has spent a lifetime pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

E. Sinclair,, G. Patel,, A. Thomas, N. Mamun, S. D. Holladay, K. Czaja,

A precept in plastination has been that tissue is sufficiently dehydrated when the acetone bath concentration stabilizes at >99%, containing less than 1% residual water content. However, this accepted level has not been rigorously tested. The purpose of this study is to determine the the minimum acetone dehydration level to achieve successful plastination. To address this issue, we conducted a series of experiments using formalin-fixed myocardium, liver, and kidney tissues from equine, canine, and bovine specimens. Rapid dehydration time was achieved by placing tissue samples in a high acetone-to-tissue volume ratio of 5000:1 and allowing stabilization at >99% acetone. Three samples were removed daily, allowing contained acetone to evaporate, and tissues weighed to determine reduction of water content. The point at which tissue weight loss no longer occurred was identified as the “complete acetone evaporation time.” Residual water content after such dehydration was determined by the acetone-dehydrated tissue weight loss, after which the tissues were progressed to freeze-drying. Results show that all tissue types that had stopped losing weight in >99% acetone, retained significantly more than 1% water. These results add to current understanding of the plastination dehydration process and offer data that could inform changed solvent use procedures during dehydration.

CM Harris, SR Wilson, EM Darby, K Czaja,

The optimal acetone-to-tissue ratio was studied for the dehydration of tissues in preparation for silicone impregnation using only one acetone bath. The goal was to develop a time-efficient and acetone-sparing procedure. We hypothesized that increasing the acetone-to-tissue ratio would improve dehydration efficiency until a point is reached where further increases yield no significant improvement. Tissue samples collected from the left ventricular wall of the equine heart were used for acetone dehydration at -20 to -25 °C. Then, we assessed acetone dehydration completeness with a Multiple Comparisons Test that compared the initial and final tissue weight after acetone evaporation, revealing the time when only water remained in the tissue samples. Our findings indicate that ratios of 65:1 and above were equally effective in dehydrating the samples, while ratios of 60:1 and below retained significantly more water. The 65:1 ratio was identified as the optimal ratio, achieving full dehydration within four days, which is faster than traditional methods. The acetone at this ratio had continuing utility for beginning subsequent dehydrations where specimen production time is not a pressing concern. Although the 65:1 ratio was ideal for the small specimens tested, it may not be practical for larger specimens due to the large volume of acetone required. Further research will be needed to explore the optimal ratios for different tissue types and larger specimens. Overall, this study provides a beginning foundation for optimizing acetone use when rapid specimen processing is desired while minimizing waste.