Body Worlds Exhibit by Gunther von Hagens
Using Plastination, Human Remains are Used for Medical Science
Dec 18, 2006
The fascinating Body Worlds exhibit by Gunther von Hagens was astonishing. He uses a process called plastination of human remains for medical science.
Individuals who suffer from disordered eating, eating disorders and body image issues, are disconnected from their own bodies. They have a hard time seeing themselves for the actual size they are, often believing they are far bigger than their real size.
This sense of disconnect plays a large role in making it easy to abuse their selves by starving, binging and purging, and overeating. Although most individuals with an eating disorder are very knowledgeable about calories, exercise and the way their body functions, they have distorted this information to serve their destructive behavior.
I recently saw Gunther von Hagens’ exhibit of Body Worlds 3: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies. It opened my eyes to the intricate nature of our bodies and how complex and extraordinary they truly are. Gunther uses a process called Plastination, which he founded in 1977, for medical science.
He uses donated bodies after death and extracts all of their bodily fluids and soluble fat. He then replaces it with reactive resins and elastomers, such as silicon rubber and epoxy, through vacuum-packed impregnation. In this way, decomposition is halted and the corpses harden with gas, light or heat curing.
With now-rigid and permanent bodies, Gunther von Hagens can teach medical students about anatomy on real specimens, unheard of before his invention of Plastination. By understanding exactly how our internal systems function and being able to see them as they really look, we can begin to appreciate and connect with our magnificent bodies.
Over 20 million people in 35 countries have seen the awe-inspiring exhibit since 1996. It has toured all over the world and is currently open in Vancouver, Canada and Dallas, Texas. Coming at the beginning of 2007 are the cities of Chicago, Phoenix and Montreal.
