Plastination

Plastination is a technique used in anatomy to preserve bodies or body parts. The water and fat are replaced by certain plastics, yielding specimens that can be touched, do not smell or decay, and even retain most microscopic properties of the original sample.

Process

There are five steps in the standard process of plastination:
*Fixation
*Dehydration
*Forced impregnation
*Hardening
*Posing

Water and lipid tissues are replaced by curable polymers. Curable polymers used by plastination include silicone, epoxy and polyester-copolymer. The first step of plastination is fixation. This simply means that the body is embalmed, usually in a formaldehyde solution, in order to halt decomposition. After any necessary dissections take place, the specimen is then placed in a bath of acetone. Under freezing conditions, the acetone draws out all the water and replaces it inside the cells. In the third step, the specimen is then placed in a bath of liquid polymer, such as silicone rubber, polyester or epoxy resin. By creating a vacuum, the acetone is made to boil at a low temperature. As the acetone vaporizes and leaves the cells, it draws the liquid polymer in behind it, leaving a cell filled with liquid plastic. The plastic must then be cured, either with gas, heat, or ultraviolet light, in order to harden it. A specimen can be anything from a full human body to a small piece of an animal organ, and they are known as "plastins". Once plastinated, the body can be posed.

History

In November 1978 Dr. Gunther von Hagens applied for a German Patent (no. 27 10 147). He proposed the idea of preserving animal and vegetable tissues permanently by synthetic resin impregnation. Since then Dr. von Hagens has applied for further US Patents [http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/4205059.html] . The final one coming in May 1982 [http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/4320157.html] when Dr. von Hagens received a Patent by the United States government for his work on preserving biological tissues with polymers. Since then the technique known as Plastination has been a continual field of contention between science, art and ethics. With the success of his Patents, von Hagens went on to form the Institute of Plastination in Heidelberg, Germany in 1993. The Institute of Plastination, along with Dr. von Hagens made their first showing of plastinated bodies in Japan in 1995, which drew over three million people.

Other Plastination methods

*A. Core- tech room temp procedure
*B. Epoxy E12 procedure
*C. Polyester P35 (P40)- procedure

Uses of plastinated bodies

Plastination is useful in anatomy as well as serving as models and teaching tools. Students who are enrolled in introductory animal science courses at many universities are finding the value in experimental learning in animal science through collection of multispecies large-animal management and production practicums. This practicum allowed students to have hands on experience in this field.

Plastinated canine gastrointestinal tracts are used to help in the teaching of endoscopic technique and anatomy. The plastinated specimens retain their dilated conformation by a positive pressure air flow, which allows them to be used to teach both endoscopic technique and gastrointestinal anatomy. The North Carolina State University's College of Veterinary Medicine in Raleigh, North Carolina used both PC (plastic coating) and PN (plastination) to investigate and compared the difference in the two methods. The PC method was simple and inexpensive, but the plastinated specimens (PN method) were more flexible, durable, and lifelike than those preserved by the PC method. The use of plastination allowed the use of many body parts such as muscle, nerves, bones, ligaments, and central nervous system to be preserved. The Department of Animal Science and Industry at Kansas State reconstructed the skeleton of an acutely laminitic thoroughbred broodmare that had been euthanized. The final project was a complete, mobile skeleton that will be used as a teaching aid in equine classes. With the use of plastination as a teaching method of animal science, fewer animals will have to be killed in the name of science, as the plastination process allows specimens to last a long time.

Other methods have been in place for thousands of years to help with the decomposition of the body. Mummification used by the Egyptians is a widely known method which involves the removal of body fluid and wrapping the body in linens. Prior to mummification, Egyptians would lay the body in a shallow pit in the desert and allow the sun to dehydrate the body. Formalin, an important solution to body preservation, was introduced in 1896 to help with body preservation. Soon to follow formalin, color preserving embalming solutions were developed to preserve lifelike color and flexibility to aid in the study of the body. Paraffin impregnation was introduced in 1925 and the embedding of organs in plastic was developed in the 1960s. Body preservation methods current to the twenty-first century are cryopreservation which involves the cooling of the body to very low temperatures to preserve the body tissues, plastination and embalming. Plastination is used in hundreds of laboratories worldwide to help with the teaching and study of the body.

Ethical concerns

Concern over consent of bodies being used the plastination process has arisen. Over 20 years ago Von Hagen set up a body donation program in Germany and has signed over 8000 donors into the plastinate program: 531 have already died. The program has reported an average of one body a day being released to the plastination process. Ninety percent of the bodies donated have been German. Although Von Hagens says he follows strict consent procedures for whole-body specimens, he maintains that "consent is not important for body parts." Von Hagen’s body donations are now being managed by the Institute for Plastination (IfP) [http://www.bodyworlds.com/en/institute_for_plastination/mission_objectives.html] established in 1993.cite journal |author=Singh D, von Hagens G |title=Scientist or showman? |journal=BMJ |volume=326 |issue=7387 |pages=468 |year=2003 |month=March |pmid=12609939 |pmc=1125369 |doi=10.1136/bmj.326.7387.468 |url=]

Other exhibitors

In 2004 the publicly traded US company [http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=PRXI Premier Exhibitions Inc.] began their "Bodies Revealed" exhibition in Blackpool, England which ran from August through October 2004. In 2005 and 2006 the company opened their [http://www.bodiesrevealed.com/index-home.html Bodies Revealed] and Bodies The Exhibition exhibitions in Seoul (South Korea), Tampa (Florida) and New York (NY) respectively. Another exhibition site in 2006 was the Houston Museum of Natural Science in Houston (Texas). The West Coast exhibition site opened on June 22, 2006 at the Tropicana Resort & Casino Las Vegas NV. Exhibit now at Boston Museum of Science as of December 27th, 2006. [http://www.bodyworlds.com/en/bodydonation/body_donation_program.html]

As of February 2008, "Bodies...the Exhibition" is showing at the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Plastination galleries are offered in a few college medical schools including University of Michigan [http://www.med.umich.edu/anatomy/plastinate/index.html] and Vienna University.Fact|date=March 2008

June 2008 - August 2008 Von Hagens "Body Worlds 4" premiered at The Museum of Science and Industry Manchester, England Accompanied by a DVD and Book.

Further reading

* "Heidelberg Plastination Folder" (Original title: "Heidelberger Plastinationshefter"). 1985/86, Institute for Anatomy at Heidelberg University
* Liselotte Hermes da Fonseca und Thomas Kliche (Hg.): Verführerische Leichen – verbotener Verfall. "Körperwelten" als gesellschaftliches Schlüsselereignis, Lengerich u.a.: Pabst Verlag 2006
* The current potential of plastination [http://www.springerlink.com/content/x4703642x8436r64/] von Hagens,Tiedemann and Kriz ISSN 0340-2061 (Print) 1432-0568 (Online)
* "Pushing the Limits" [http://www.bodyworldshop.com/Gunther-von-Hagens-Biography-Pushing-The-Limits-Encounters-with-BODY-WORLDS-Creator-Gunther-von-Hagens_p_45-36.html] - Encounters with Gunther von Hagens. Biography. Ed. Angelina Whalley 2005. In English.

* "Body Worlds - The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies" by Gunther von Hagens Amazon-UK ASIN: B000Q2MC

External links

* [http://www.visdocta.com/giantsquid.html VisDocta RESEARCH - GIANT SQUID WORLDS FIRST NATURALISATION]
* [http://www.smm.org/buzz/museum/body_worlds/plastination A graphic guide to plastination at Science Buzz] *
* [http://www.plastination.com/en/pages/plastination.asp Preservation by Plastination] , on Body Worlds page
* [http://www.plastination.org Plastination website by Dr. Selcuk Tunali]
* [http://www.bodiesrevealed.com/index-process.html Polymer Preservation: The Process]
* [http://www.discover.com/issues/mar-04/features/gross-anatomy/?page=1] Discovery, March 2004, 'Gross Anatomy by Alan Burdick'
* [http://www.littledeathdrives.com "Little Death Drives" is a literary novel about plastination and is available as a free download]
* [http://www.marcsteinmetz.com/pages/plastination/eplastination_minis.html Picture story by German photographer Marc Steinmetz]
* [http://www.wikispot.info/2008/09/plastination.html simple way of plastination ]

Links from the Institute of Biomedical Science

* [http://www.ibms.org/pdf/pdf_science/plastin.PDF Plastination: Is it science or art?]
* [http://www.ibms.org/index.cfm?method=science.general_science&subpage=general_plastination_S10_technique Plastination: Silicone Impregnation of Specimens (the standard S10 technique)]
* [http://www.ibms.org/index.cfm?method=science.general_science&subpage=general_sheet_plastination_technique Plastination: The Sheet Plastination Technique]
* [http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=0&f=S&l=50&TERM1=hagens&FIELD1=INZZ&co1=AND&TERM2=gunther&FIELD2=INZZ&d=ptxt List of US patents by Gunther von Hagens]
* [http://www.univie.ac.at/anatomie2/plastination.html PLASTINATION at The Medical University of Vienna]

Link of Plastination in Spanish

* [http://www.plastinacion.com PLASTINACION.com]

Film references

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqKvYUO7C7w "China Turns Out Mummified Bodies for Displays" New York Times]
* [http://www.cinequestonline.org/2006/theater/detail_view.php?m=650: "Exhibit Human" a documentary on plastination by Aaron Edell]

References