Gunther von Hagens (born Gunther Gerhard Liebchen; 10 January ) is a German anatomist, businessman, and lecturer. He developed the technique for preserving biological tissue specimens called plastination. Von Hagens has organized numerous Body Worlds public exhibitions and occasional live demonstrations of his and his colleagues' work, and has traveled worldwide to promote its educational value. The sourcing of biological specimens for and the commercial background of his exhibits has been controversial.
Early life and education
Hagens was born Gunther Gerhard Liebchen in Alt-Skalden (now called Skalmierzyce) near Ostrowo, Reichsgau Wartheland, in German-annexed Poland. Gerhard Liebchen, his father, was a member of the SS of National Socialist German Workers' Party Germany. When he was five days old, his parents took him on a six-month trek westwards, to escape from the advancing Red Army and the imminent Soviet occupation. The family lived briefly in Berlin and its vicinity, before finally settling in Greiz, a town which was allocated to the Soviet occupation zone, so that Hagens grew up in East Germany. He lived in G
In , at the age of 30, Dr. Gunther von Hagens accepted the position of Scientific Assistant at the Anatomical Institute of Heidelberg University &#; a move that changed the trajectory of his life and, indeed, the way we study anatomy today.
Gunther knew from a very early age that he wanted to contribute to the field of medicine. He aspired to be a doctor, having frequently been hospitalized due to hemophilia &#; a pursuit he followed for 29 years. After earning his medical license, though, he discovered his disinterest in practicing medicine and, a year later, pivoted to the field of anatomy.
As an Anatomical Assistant, Gunther saw, for the first time, specimens embedded in plastic blocks. He wondered why the plastic had been poured around the specimen instead of inside the specimen, stabilizing it from within. Just two years later, after experimenting with numerous methods and materials, Gunther held in his hands the first presentable Plastinate. This was on January 10, , his 32nd birthday. Two months later, he submitted his process to the German Patent Office.
Over the next 20 years, Gunther served as a Lecturer and Scientist at the Anatomical Institute of Heidelberg Univ
Dr. Gunther von Hagens
Biography
Anatomist, inventor of Plastination and creator of BODY WORLDS: The Original, Dr. Gunther von Hagens (christened Gunther Gerhard Liebchen) was born in , in Alt-Skalden, Posen, Poland—then part of Germany. To escape the imminent Russian occupation of their homeland, his parents placed the five-day-old infant in a laundry basket and began a six-month trek west by horse wagon. The family lived briefly in Berlin and its vicinity, before finally settling in Greiz, a small town where Gunther von Hagens remained until the age of
As a child, he was diagnosed with a rare bleeding disorder that restricted his activities and required long bouts of hospitalization that, he says, fostered in him a sense of alienation and nonconformity. At age six, Gunther von Hagens nearly died and was in intensive care for many months. His daily encounters there with doctors and nurses left an indelible impression on him, and ignited in him a desire to become a physician. He also showed an interest in science from an early age, reportedly “freaking out” at the age of 12 during the Russian launch of Sputnik into space. “I was the school authority and
Meet Gunther von Hagens
The journey of Gunther von Hagens
My interest in health and medicine came at an early age. I was hospitalized at the age of seven after an injury left me bleeding profusely. It was then that I was diagnosed with haemophilia. While the experience was life-changing it was not completely negative, I gained something that is still ingrained in me – a deep respect and admiration for healthcare providers. They were and continue to be my heroes.
A desire to improve medical education motivated me to establish von Hagens Plastination. I strive for those studying health and medicine to have access to the best teaching tools, utilizing plastinates to learn about the human body in a way that is not possible with models, books, or other learning tools.
I was always baffled as to why specimens were encased in plastic blocks, or in jars, behind glass. As a kinaesthetic learner, I knew the value in being able to touch and handle a specimen. This led me to invent plastination in However, I soon found that it was not only my anatomy students and those in our department who were interested in plastinates. People from all over the university had an interest, this d
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