Gunther von Hagens, the German anatomist who revolutionised anatomical exhibitions with his controversial Body Worlds displays of preserved human and animal bodies, has died at the age of 81.
His family announced his death on Monday, revealing that von Hagens had expressed the wish for his own body to undergo plastination—the preservation technique he pioneered—following his death.
According to his team, von Hagens died on Friday. He was remembered as “a pioneer, a researcher, an inventor” whose work made human anatomy more accessible to millions around the world.
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Born on January 10, 1945, in what was then Nazi-occupied Poland, he grew up in communist East Germany before eventually settling in West Germany, where he completed his medical studies.
In 1977, he invented plastination, a technique that preserves human and animal tissues by replacing water and fat with polymers, allowing anatomical specimens to retain their form for educational display.
The invention became the foundation of the globally renowned Body Worlds exhibitions, which attracted millions of visitors by presenting donated human bodies in lifelike poses to illustrate anatomy, health and disease.
While praised by many for advancing public understanding of the human body, the exhibitions also attracted criticism from those who questioned the ethics of publicly displaying preserved human remains.
Von Hagens further stirred debate in 2002 when he conducted a public autopsy in London before a live audience and television cameras.
His work also featured in the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale, introducing the exhibition to an even wider audience.
His wife and collaborator, Angelina Whalley, said his lifelong mission was to help people better understand their own bodies and promote healthier living through scientific education.
She described his work as “scientific, educational and deeply humanistic,” saying it inspired millions to view the human body from a new perspective.
