INTRODUCTION

This year celebrates the 80th birthday of Dr. Gunther von Hagens, a trailblazer whose work in plastination has permanently transformed our understanding and appreciation of human anatomy. From his groundbreaking method, which preserves biological tissues with remarkable accuracy, to the internationally acclaimed Body Worlds exhibitions that have captivated millions, Dr. von Hagens has continually challenged traditional limits, bringing the complexities of the body out of the operating room and into the public eye.

To mark this significant milestone, we, a group of six authors and members of the International Society for Plastination, present a special tribute: a series of personal reflections on our experiences with Dr. von Hagens. These letters offer an intimate glimpse into the man behind the groundbreaking innovations, sharing firsthand stories that demonstrate his passion, vision, and the profound impact he has had on those he has met. Join us as we celebrate the enduring legacy of a true anatomical pioneer.

Gunther von Hagens and the Democratization of Anatomy in the UK
By Philip J. Adds

I first met Gunther von Hagens in 2002 at the opening night of his first Body Worlds exhibition in Brick Lane, London. Britain was at that time dealing with the fallout from the organ retention scandal, relating to the discovery that thousands of organs from children and babies had been retrieved at post mortem and stored without parental knowledge or consent. The ensuing scandal led to the introduction of the Human Tissue Act (2004), which swept away the 1984 Anatomy Act, and which made informed consent the central pillar of legislation relating to anatomy and organ donations.

It was in this environment of heightened sensibilities that von Hagens chose to open the first Body Worlds exhibition in the UK. Some years later, when Body Worlds had become a global phenomenon, I asked Gunther which countries had been most opposed to the idea of Body Worlds. He told me it had been Germany (because of sensitivities relating to the Holocaust), and the UK, due to the organ retention scandal. The anatomy establishment at the time was firmly opposed to the exhibition, and HM Inspector of Anatomy tried unsuccessfully to block it with various legal challenges.

Figure 1. Body Worlds opening night, London, 2018. The author with Gunther and Rurik

It is difficult now, looking back, to imagine the strong opposition and the media storm that was aroused when Body Worlds first opened – a storm that was heightened by von Hagens’ holding a televised ‘public autopsy’, leading to comments in the press that called it a “shameless Victorian freak show", and referring to von Hagens as “Dr Death”. The outcry soon subsided, and plastinates have since returned to the UK. An animal exhibition was shown at the Natural History Museum in 2012, and Body Worlds itself returned to London in 2018,  with almost none of the negative publicity that had attended the initial exhibition (Fig.1).

Von Hagens’ aim was to “democratise” anatomy – to take it away from the academic and clinical elite and bring it to the people. In this, he has surely exceeded beyond his expectations. But his most enduring legacy, I believe, is not in the rather sensationalised touring exhibitions, but in the field of medical education and research. It is here that his impact will be most felt. When I started teaching anatomy, very few, if any, UK medical schools used plastinated specimens for routine anatomy teaching. Today, very few don’t. The rate of change may have been accelerated by the Covid pandemic, with dissecting rooms forced to close during lockdown, but the trend is towards a blended delivery of anatomy teaching, utilising virtual reality, medical imaging, and plastinated cadaveric specimens. In helping to train future generations of medics in this way, Gunther von Hagens’ legacy will surely endure.

Philip J. Adds MSc, PhD, SFHEA, FAS, FIBMS
Reader in Anatomy (retired)
Division of Biomedical Sciences (Anatomy)
St. George’s, University of London,
London, UK

A Personal Journey with Dr. Gunther von Hagens: A Tribute
By Robert W. Henry

A tribute to Dr. Gunther von Hagens!

To know and communicate with someone for over one half of your life is very special! Such are my experiences with you, Gunther.  I heard of Gunther and his technique for preservation during my transition from Baton Rouge, LA, to Knoxville, TN.  I was privileged to attend the meetings in San Antonio, TX, hosted by Dr. Harmon Bickley.

At the San Antonio Meetings, Dr. von Hagens was a “ball of fire”.  I had never encountered anyone who could use every square millimeter of the chalkboard in a lecture hall.  Gunther could and did.  2x2s were coming into vogue - but chalk was still King of the board during those meetings!  He could write and speak about his “dear plastination process” with the same ease as a bee around its honey.  I had never experienced anything or anyone so magnificent.  In those meetings, I felt as though I had done my Ph.D. all over again.

I was fortunate to purchase his “kettle” and vacuum pump, which he had brought to the meeting to demonstrate.  Thus, with my auto filled with precious plastination equipment and enough notes to fill a dissertation book, I began my real journey into plastination and back to reality in Knoxville. TN.  Upon my return home, I continued my specimen preparation.  Searching my notes and the “Plastination Folder,” I began the impregnation of a dozen specimens.  No needle valves were found in East Tennessee, but the water gate valve served reasonably well.  So, I have told many of you that to silicone plastinate is very EASY, “you just need to do it”.

The following year, I was able to go to Heidelberg and graciously work with Drs. von Hagens and Tiedemann for a week.  He had so many projects going; my head was spinning.  We created many things, including a bull's heart colored by injecting blue and red epoxy into the vessels.  That specimen is still in use today.  He was a gracious host:  Dining with him and his family (hence meeting Rurik at a very young age), guided tours of Heidelberg, including a night lighting of Heidelberg Castle, his laboratories and office, and airport pickup.

Since that amazing time, he accommodated my purchase of polymers to bring home free on the plane on my various visits to “Europe”.  [Those were great days!]  His scientific team and office support were exceptional.  Probably my high point (if I can only have one) was the 1995 ISP meeting in Heidelberg.  The whole man, along with the whole epoxy-sliced man, was exciting.  However, a close second was the “horse and rider” a few years later.  And I could go on and on!!

Gunther is still willing to share knowledge concerning the procedure. To his credit, I only know of one small price increase in Biodur Polymer.  Just as he struggled to leave East Germany, he and I and others are struggling with aging now. His still the marvel of specimen production.

Congratulations on this monumental birthday.  Even as your year changed, I am still 1 year older.  Gunther, it has been a great ride, and even in the twilight, I am still pleased to know you as a Dear Friend and Colleague.  To the most special man in my life, all the best in the years forward.  Blessings, Bob

Robert W. Henry, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Anatomy,
Lincoln Memorial University, College of Veterinary Medicine

A Personal Journey Inspired by Gunther von Hagens' Plastination
By Rafael  Latorre

Personal Tribute to Professor Gunther von Hagens on His 80th Birthday

I first encountered the innovative plastination technique in 1992, during a four-month postdoctoral stay at the veterinary hospital of the University of California, Davis. While working in Professor George Cardinet’s laboratory, I learned about the potential of plastination for anatomical preservation and teaching. I was so fascinated by the possibilities that, every morning at 7:00—two hours before starting my official work, I went to the veterinary dissection room to learn plastination from my good friend Bob Parmelee, who was then responsible for the facility. Those early mornings were my first steps into a field that would become central to my professional life.

Upon my return to Murcia later that year, I established our first plastination laboratory. Even today, our Department of Anatomy still preserves some of the very first plastinated specimens produced during that time, silent witnesses to the beginning of our journey inspired by Professor von Hagens’ invention.

In July 1998, I had the privilege of meeting Professor Gunther von Hagens in person at the Ninth International Conference on Plastination in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada. I perfectly remember his entertaining explanations in the laboratory, especially his enthusiasm in defending the S10 technique of cold silicone impregnation against the then incipient and sometimes controversial techniques of plastination at room temperature. Beyond his scientific passion, I was struck by his joyful spirit—I still remember him dancing during the gala dinner held on a boat. It was also during this conference in Quebec that I met Professor Robert W. Henry, with whom I began a professional and friendly relationship that endures to this day. He became my mentor, and I learned from him everything I know about plastination today.

In 2004, I was honored to organize the Twelfth International Conference on Plastination at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Murcia, Spain. By then, Professor von Hagens was no longer attending meetings of the International Society for Plastination, but we extended him an official invitation, nonetheless.

I met him again in July 2008 at the Fourteenth International Conference on Plastination, held in Heidelberg and Guben, Germany. During those days, he guided us through all the facilities, sharing his excitement about numerous ongoing projects. One of the most striking initiatives was the histological staining of transparent slices preserved using the E12 technique—an approach that deeply impressed me. Inspired by this innovation, I decided to attend a one-week course at the Plastinarium in Guben in 2010, where Professor von Hagens participated in every session. I remember how surprised he was by my presence and how attentive he was, frequently asking my opinion on each step of the process.

That week was an extraordinary experience. I had the chance to learn directly from him countless recommendations and refinements for each stage of plastination. His team’s hospitality and their shared enthusiasm for their work created an inspiring environment. One unforgettable moment was seeing the P40 chambers with transparent slices of a complete elephant— an impressive project that perfectly represented the brilliance and imagination of Professor von Hagens.

There is no doubt that Professor Gunther von Hagens’ passion, perseverance, and creativity have made plastination an invaluable tool. Plastinated organs have become essential resources for anatomical teaching and are now widely used in medical and veterinary schools around the world. His legacy is not only a revolutionary technique but also a testament to the power of curiosity and dedication in advancing science and education.

With deep respect and gratitude,

Rafael Latorre, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Professor, Veterinary Anatomy,
University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain

From Orthopedic Dreams to Plastination Reality: My Time with Gunther von Hagens
By Mircea-Constantin Sora

It is my pleasure to provide you with my thoughts and memories about my time in Gunther’s laboratory and how I came to know him.

Since I was a child, my dream has always been to become a doctor, just like my father. The magical attraction of this profession followed me through my entire life. So, naturally, my biggest goal was to be accepted to the medical university in Timisoara, Romania, my hometown. Driven by my motivation to be a doctor one day, I was thrilled to start my medical school in the 1980s in Timisoara. As it usually is in med school, you begin to get to know a lot of basic physiology and pathology, and of course, a lot of anatomy. I studied basic medical subjects, and especially anatomy always seemed the most appealing to me, but I never even considered becoming a specialist in anatomy, also known as an anatomist. While I thoroughly enjoyed anatomy, I had my mind set on becoming an orthopedic surgeon one day. Perhaps this dream was shaped by the fact that my father was a well-known orthopedic surgeon and professor of orthopedic surgery. As time went on, I graduated from medical university in 1987, and my goal was clear: to start my orthopedic residency.

But as life usually is, everything turned out completely different than expected. The politically difficult times at the end of 1989 that shaped my hometown led to a reorientation of Romanian society, and I was driven to find my way. So, I didn't think twice and emigrated to Germany at the beginning of the 1990s. Of course, there was an enormous discrepancy between my romantic view of reality and the actual situation. To complete my dream of becoming an orthopedic surgeon, I started working as a visiting doctor at the trauma surgery department in Mannheim at the end of 1990. I was happy to get my first experiences as a visiting doctor to eventually build on that and fulfill my dream of becoming an orthopedic surgeon one day.

But as it is in life, especially with a young child, I had to earn a living and provide for my family, and this was not possible as a visiting doctor with no salary. So, I started looking for a job to earn a decent living and as it turned out I coincidently found out that Gunther von Hagens was hiring staff for his laboratory, especially people who were experienced in anatomy and had good dissection skills. Since I always enjoyed anatomy and loved to dissect on a human cadaver during my time at the university, I was eager to apply for that job.

Intrigued by the job advertisement, I set off for Heidelberg at the beginning of 1991 to introduce myself to Gunther. I had never heard of plastination back then, nor did I know what it was. It was spring, and the meeting with Gunther took place in his office on the 3rd floor of building 307, Im Neuenheimer Feld. I would be lying if I said I was impressed by Gunther's appearance. You always imagine a university anatomy employee to be different. Gunther presented himself as follows: shorts, an unbuttoned shirt, those typical “health sandals” that you only seem to find in hospitals, no socks, plus a black hat. As you can imagine, I was initially very surprised and shocked. You first have to digest this appearance so that you can present yourself seriously. Nonetheless, the interview went well and I was allowed to work in Gunther's lab straight afterwards. There was no Institute for Plastination back then, because Gunther was an employee of the University of Heidelberg.  It was the euphoric and enthusiastic period that plastination was going through. Most of the visitors we had in the laboratory were colleagues from various universities who wanted to learn the method of plastination. What most of them didn't know is that plastination is a full-time job and it can't just be done in between. This is one of the reasons why, almost 50 years after the invention of the plastination method, there are only a few university plastination laboratories in the world.

Gunther von Hagens and Mircea-Constantin Sora, 13th International Conference on Plastination, Medical University of Vienna, Austria, July 2006

Gunther's lab was on the 3rd floor of building 307. When I started in the lab there were only a couple of employees. The most senior one was Marek, who wasn't a doctor but had been with Gunther since the 80s. Although our lab wasn't big back then, we were able to carry out all the usual techniques. As the boss, Gunther wanted to get everyone excited about plastination because plastination was everything to him. Every Tuesday morning at 10 am, Gunther gathered the whole team together and gave a lecture on plastination, so it was a kind of a training course for plastination. Now, everyone who happened to get to know Gunther knows that he is not a particularly patient person and so, in addition to the theoretical knowledge that he passed along to us, he also constantly came up with a lot of ideas, which we then had to put into practice. It was a time of learning by doing.  Now you can imagine that driven by Gunther`s passion and ideas we attempted to plastinate literally anything, also sometimes impossible objects which of course was very formative and influential for me and the art of plastination itself. A good example was the plastination of a piece of archaeological wood.

One morning, an archaeologist came and brought us a piece of wood from an archeological site. Gunther, enthusiastic as ever, said it would be no problem, because basically you can plastinate anything. So naturally we immediately started plastinating. Anyone who knows a little about plastination, knows that the first step is to dehydrate the specimen. This was done, with the result that our piece of wood disintegrated into thousands of splinters. What a rude awakening. In the following years we plastinated almost all types of specimens, because you will learn a lot from mistakes. Only those who don't work don't make mistakes.

Gunther von Hagens and Mircea-Constantin Sora, 13th International Conference on Plastination, Medical University of Vienna, Austria, July 2006. Fr0m Left to right, Constantin Sora, Gunther von Hagens, Angelina Whalley, Robert Henry

The P40, the successor to the P35, was also developed during this period in the early 1990s. Anyone who has used the P35 technique knows how cumbersome it is. One of the problems is the high viscosity of the P35 polyester, which is responsible for complex procedures to remove air bubbles from the polymer. The second problem is the hardener A9, which is mixed with the P35. This hardener produces an exogenous reaction that leads to heat generation, which can cause the glass chambers of the cuts to burst. These were the main reasons for wanting to replace the P35, although the optical properties of the polymer were ideal for the neural tissue. Another other major consideration was that thin body slices produced with E12 could be produced faster and less complicated with the new P40. The development of P40 took us about 2 years and there were many setbacks before the right mixture was finally found. As always, Gunther was very enthusiastic and constantly carried out tests, day and night. This perseverance has probably always haunted him. It was summer and there was the Summer Olympics.  On Sundays, he called me and wanted to implement another idea. When I told him it was the Olympics, he replied that plastination was his Olympic sport. Well, then he must have won the gold medal for this sport.

The years passed quickly and so I had to leave Heidelberg in the fall of 1996. It was the golden age of scientific plastination, because after that then came the era of exhibitions, which began with the first public exhibition of plastinates in Tokyo in 1995. Looking back on my time in Heidelberg, I have to admit that plastination and the variety of my activities in Gunther's laboratory left their mark on me. Today I am an anatomist myself and had it not been for plastination, I probably would not have achieved all my academic goals. What I took away from Gunther is: you have to dare to fulfill your ideas, no matter what others think of you or say about you. If I hadn't experienced Heidelberg and Gunther's lab, which was very multicultural at the time, I might be less open to new or alternative ideas today.

Sincerely,

Univ. Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Constantin Sora
izedekan Bachelor Humanmedizin
Lehrstuhl für Anatomie
Sigmund Freud PrivatUniversität
Fakultät für Medizin
Freudplatz 3 – Raum 631
1020 Wien

Gunther von Hagens: An Encounter That Reshaped a Life and Anatomy
By Dmitry Starchik

In the early 1990s, fate granted me a meeting with Gunther von Hagens—a man who pioneered plastination and forever transformed the field of anatomical science. At that time, I was teaching at the Military Medical Academy under the guidance of Professor Ivan Gaivoronsky. It was he who invited Gunther to St. Petersburg to explore Russian anatomy and immerse himself in the city's museums, seeking inspiration for his first Body Worlds exhibition.

Gunther was captivated by St. Petersburg—its architecture, its atmosphere—but most of all, by the bronze monument to Peter I on Senate Square. I remember how long he gazed at the sculpture of the emperor, frozen atop his rearing horse, as if trying to unravel the sculptor’s vision. I believe it was at that very moment that the idea of the plastinated rider was born in his mind—a vision that would later be realized in Body Worlds.

Later, in the summer of 1994, Gunther invited Gaivoronsky and me to visit his Institute of Plastination in Germany. He met us in Berlin, and from there, we drove through the night to Heidelberg, taking turns at the wheel of a massive truck. Within the university walls, plastination unfolded before me in all its technological and philosophical depth. At that time, Gunther was completely absorbed in his research, refining the E12 technique for creating large plastinated body slices. We lived right inside his Institute, surrounded by experiments, where plastination permeated every corner, transforming anatomical specimens into eternal structures.

One night, deep in thought, I sat in my room, recording my impressions in my diary. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Gunther stood at the door.

— "I came to check on the impregnation process," he said briefly.

Swiftly inspecting the equipment, he adjusted the pressure in the vacuum chamber, wished me good night, and disappeared. But three hours later, by six in the morning, he was at the door again—full of energy, focused, and ready for yet another long and intense day of work. And so it went, day after day. His lifestyle was astounding—he did not simply practice science; he lived it.

Meeting Professor von Hagens was a turning point in my life. Through him, I realized that plastination was not just an anatomical method—it was an art, one that demanded complete dedication. It was then that I decided to devote my life to plastination. To me, Gunther von Hagens is not only an innovator and a great researcher but a figure whose unwavering enthusiasm continues to inspire me to this day. When I tell my students about plastination, I always cite him as an example—a man who brought his ideas to life, reshaped the world of anatomy, and changed my own life forever.

Dmitry Starchik, M.D., Ph.D.
Department of Human Morphology, North-Western State Medical University
St. Petersburg, Russia
President of the International Society for Plastination

The Unforgettable Toledo Meeting: A Tribute to Gunther von Hagens' Enduring Spirit
by Carlos A. C. Baptista

My journey into plastination started with a lifelong fascination with anatomical techniques. This interest was sparked in 1984 when I discovered Dr. von Hagens' groundbreaking article on using elastomers for anatomical preservation, igniting a strong passion for the method.

Securing funding for direct training in Heidelberg, Germany, initially proved challenging. Undeterred, I sought opportunities to observe plastination firsthand, to replicate it eventually. This led me to the United States in December 1984 for further study, where I gained the invaluable experience of visiting a plastination laboratory at the University of Cincinnati.

Figure 1. March 1988. 4th International Conference on Plastination, Macon Georgia.

Returning to Brazil in May 1985, I faced the challenge of importing silicone from Heidelberg due to government restrictions and a lack of university funding. Luckily, a friend at the Medical College of Ohio (Dr. Phillip Conran) ordered the silicone from Germany and sent it to Brazil as a gift, allowing me to start my plastination journey. Later, back in the United States, I was asked to set up a small plastination lab to prepare pathological specimens for the medical curriculum.

The first time I met Dr. von Hagens was in Macon, Georgia, in March 1988, during the 4th International Conference on Plastination, organized by Dr. Harmon Bickley. (Fig. 1) I was new to plastination at that time and new to the USA, so everything impressed me. I was struck by Gunther's formal attire and the attire of the other speakers, Dr. Tiedemann, Dr. Bickley, and Karin Ostrom. Meetings were much more formal then!

I  met Gunther again in July 1990 at the 5th International Conference on Plastination in Heidelberg (Fig. 2). My first impression was strong: he was charming, energetic, and eagerly shared the intricate details of his invention. Our paths crossed again in Vienna in 2006 for the 13th International Conference, then in Heidelberg and Gubin in 2008, where we celebrated the 30th anniversary of plastination.

Figure 2. July 1990. The 5th International Conference on Plastination. Evening cruise on the Neckar River. Dr. Suzana Queiroz (left), Gunther von Hagens (center), and the author (right).

In 2011, I made a bold, last-minute decision to host the 10th interim meeting on plastination in Toledo, Ohio. The original location in St. Martin had been canceled due to low interest, and Toledo couldn't compete with the likes of Hawaii (the previous host) or Beijing (the next). Determined to make it a success, I suggest to my friend, Dr. Robert Henry, that we invite Dr. von Hagens to present the latest advances. "Good luck," he chuckled, "Gunther has never attended an interim meeting since I started them as a regular biannual event in 1989."

Despite the warning, I sent the invitation. To my surprise, Gunther quickly accepted, his mind racing as usual. He proposed discussing various topics related to plastination, including fetal plastination. A week later, Angelina Whalley emailed me, shedding light on Gunther's numerous commitments and revealing his Parkinson's disease. This news explained why he wasn't the same energetic person I had met in 1990, 2006, and 2008. I asked about his limitations, but she assured me he would come to Toledo as planned.

Just weeks before the meeting, Gunther emailed again, explaining that the stress of the trip was worsening his Parkinson's symptoms. He regrettably canceled his attendance but promised to send his assistant, Vladimir Chemerinsky, and his son, Rurik von Hagens, to fulfill his commitments. I was disappointed but understood his decision.

Then, on July 6, 2011, just three days before the meeting, another email arrived. Gunther wrote, "I am greatly relieved that I do not have to speak in front of an audience. At the same time, I felt very disappointed that I would miss the conference and meet many old friends there, and this conference might be one of the last opportunities for me to see them all. Because I do not have to speak in front of an audience, I would now still like to travel to Toledo. Aside from the physical constraints of my condition, my emotions change, and after the relief that I do not have to deliver speeches and lead workshops, I feel it is best for me to be in Toledo in person."

Gunther actively participated in the lectures, offering advice and sharing his extensive knowledge with both young and experienced plastinators. With the help of medical students, he unpacked his specimens from Germany for a one-of-a-kind exhibition (Fig. 3).

The conference's highlight was the workshops, especially the P50 workshop. Although it was initially scheduled to be led by Dr. Vladimir Chereminskiy, Gunther took charge himself, bringing his usual enthusiasm and energy, even standing over a vacuum chamber to seal it (Fig. 4). It was like seeing him in action during the old days—simply fantastic!

Figure 3 – Unpacking the specimens for the exhibition: 10th Interim Meeting on Plastination, University of Toledo Campus, July 2011. Gunther von Hagens (left), the author, Kees DeJong, Medical Students (in yellow shirts), and Rurik von Hagens (right)

Figure 4 – Participants of the 9th Interim meeting on Plastination. Workshop on P50. Gunther von Hagens (center), Vladimir Chereminskiy (back).

Figure 5. – Hall of the laboratory of Plastination, University of Toledo. From left to right: Carlos Baptista, Gunther von Hagens, Christoph von Horst, and Kees DeJong

Having Gunther von Hagens in Toledo was both an honor and a privilege. It was a week that inspired many, including medical and graduate students, young scientists, plastination specialists, and anatomists from around the world (Fig.5).

For me personally, it was a dream come true. Since starting in plastination in 1984, I never imagined hosting the "father of plastination" alongside respected plastinators from across the globe in my lab at the University of Toledo. It was a magical time! Thank you, Gunther!

Maumee Bay Park- July 2016

Carlos A. C. Baptista, MD, MS, PhD, MPH
Professor Emeritus
College of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Toledo
Department of Medical Education