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Gunther von Hagens' Body Worlds technique applied to animals Gunther von Hagens' Body Worlds technique applied to animals
(3 days later)
A decade ago, Gunther von Hagens brought his ghoulish travelling show of preserved humans, Body Worlds, to the UK. Now he's back, this time with a zoo's-worth of animals that have undergone the same plastination technique: extracting water and fatty tissues from the body and replacing them with polymers to stop its decomposition.A decade ago, Gunther von Hagens brought his ghoulish travelling show of preserved humans, Body Worlds, to the UK. Now he's back, this time with a zoo's-worth of animals that have undergone the same plastination technique: extracting water and fatty tissues from the body and replacing them with polymers to stop its decomposition.
Muscle, bone and organs are exposed, and skin flayed open to show the inner workings of these creatures' bodies. This blue shark is one of the few specimens that hasn't been dissected; its skin has been stripped off to reveal the blood vessels underneath.Muscle, bone and organs are exposed, and skin flayed open to show the inner workings of these creatures' bodies. This blue shark is one of the few specimens that hasn't been dissected; its skin has been stripped off to reveal the blood vessels underneath.
With his skeletal, bloodless face, black fedora and horror-film name, von Hagens has always cultivated a macabre persona: part Dr Frankenstein and part Leonardo da Vinci, he revelled in the controversy and moral outrage his original show attracted. Governments in almost every country it visited attempted last-ditch legal challenges; religious groups questioned its morals.With his skeletal, bloodless face, black fedora and horror-film name, von Hagens has always cultivated a macabre persona: part Dr Frankenstein and part Leonardo da Vinci, he revelled in the controversy and moral outrage his original show attracted. Governments in almost every country it visited attempted last-ditch legal challenges; religious groups questioned its morals.
In 2002, von Hagens performed the first live public autopsy in the UK for 170 years, later broadcast by Channel 4. His stated aim was to educate ordinary people about their own bodies – to "democratise anatomy", he said at the time – in the hope of increasing their health awareness. Since it opened in 1996, Body Worlds has been seen by 34 million people worldwide.In 2002, von Hagens performed the first live public autopsy in the UK for 170 years, later broadcast by Channel 4. His stated aim was to educate ordinary people about their own bodies – to "democratise anatomy", he said at the time – in the hope of increasing their health awareness. Since it opened in 1996, Body Worlds has been seen by 34 million people worldwide.
Ten years on, we are less shockable, so it's doubtful his latest show will attract the same outrage, but just as visitors to Body Worlds vowed to quit smoking, so von Hagens's latest show may inspire a new generation of vegetarians.Ten years on, we are less shockable, so it's doubtful his latest show will attract the same outrage, but just as visitors to Body Worlds vowed to quit smoking, so von Hagens's latest show may inspire a new generation of vegetarians.
Animal Inside Out runs from 6 April-16 September at the Natural History Museum, London. Animal Inside Out runs from 6 April-16 September at the Natural History Museum, London