Body Donation

A Joint Quest Towards Enlightenment Between Donor, Anatomist, and Visitor

Donors who so generously willed their bodies for the purpose of Plastination to educate the public about anatomy and physiology take center stage in this unprecedented homage to humanity. Excluding a small number of specimens acquired from anatomical collections and anatomy programs, the plastinated specimens on display in Gunther von Hagens’ BODY WORLDS exhibitions stem from a unique Body Donation Program established in Heidelberg, Germany in the early 1980’s, and later managed by the Institute for Plastination (IfP) in Heidelberg, established in 1993. Currently, the Institute for Plastination has a donor roster of more than 13,000 individuals.

With the exception of fetuses from historical anatomical and morphological collections, and a small number of organs from hospital anatomy programs, the specimens in BODY WORLDS stem from donors who, during their lifetime, willed their bodies for Plastination and the education of many.  From the beginning, the donors were excited about the groundbreaking technique of Plastination, and recognized that they were going to be part of something unprecedented.  They wanted to make the education of future generations their enduring legacy.

The donors’ participation in this aesthetic, dynamic, and compelling tribute to the human body and of visitors in search of knowledge and paying reverence, make this a  scientific quest.  Their efforts to fathom the mysteries of the human body, to honor its splendor and fragility, to claim solidarity with the donors, and recognize humanity’s joint and inescapable fate are marked by great curiosity, awe, and gratitude.

For more information on body donation for plastination visit: www.bodyworlds.com