Talk:Gunther von Hagens

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[edit] Old Views

I think the much controversy that his doings stirred up show the still extreme entanglement in religious views all over the world, even though we live in the 21st century and roughly everything has been unravled by science in a consistent fashion. No doubt there will always be more to unravel but the point is that society take way longer to adapt to technology and science. People view themselves as miracles, godlike or actually extraordinary but at the core we are all very much the same. I admire people like Gunther because no matter what, his programs will serve students to educate themselves and layman to reconsider their views and gradually adapt to an everchanging technological world. The view that one`s body still belongs to the dead is a pure spiritual one. In the end it is the very same extraordinary specimens that find their way into textbooks and give evermore new insights into pathology. Slicky 11:08, 24 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Image

I have added a photo (screenshot) of Dr. Von Hagens, if you deem the photo is inappropriate (showing the plastinated corpse), please feel free to remove it and I will crop out the photo to show only Dr. Von Hagens.

Prof Gunther Von Hagens is very clever to have devised the Plastination process as a way of preserving dead human bodies.

Whatever people may say as a way of criticism, the scientific fact is that the procedure is remarkable and is there for anyone who chooses to decide to donate their own body when they die rather than be traditionally buried or cremated of which some people 'shiver' at the thought.

Similarly his exhibitions are both enlightening and educational in that he shows the difference between perfect body organs and diseased ones and it gives people food for thought as to what may be going on inside their own bodies as a result of certain bad habits they may have which they can decide to change before it's too late.

No one is forced to visit Prof Von Hagen's exhibitions; everyone has a free choice as to whether to go or not and therefore it is wrong when people say that what he is showing to the public should not be allowed because in his case it is very educational and the Professor himself is an intelligent man who has studied long and hard for the type of work he is doing.

Yes, we may feel squeamish and be unable to look at certain things but that does not mean that those things should not be shown to the genuinely interested person who can perhaps learn more as to how our bodies work as with the Public Dissection/P.M he carried out in London's Brick Lane last November.

Sure he's unusual to be doing what he's doing but in his case I am convinced he is harmless and has integrity.

Kind Regards,

Louise Brown

I couldn't verify

In Germany, von Hagens refused to produce documents evidencing the consent of the deceased with such public exhibition.

so I removed it for now. AxelBoldt 22:09, 6 Oct 2003 (UTC)

[edit] Executed Chinese Prisoners?

An article in Salon.com [1] mentions that bullet holes were discovered in the heads of two Chinese corpses displayed by von Hagens leading to accusations that he has processed the bodies of executed Chinese prisoners. Anybody want to add it? --AStanhope 13:31, 5 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Here's corroboration... [2] --AStanhope 13:33, 5 Jun 2005 (UTC)

I added it. However, neither the Spiegel nor BBC claimed that bullet holes had actually been found in Body World exhibits. Salon apparently misinterpreted the BBC article. AxelBoldt 23:07, 5 January 2006 (UTC)

[edit] harassment

"Harassment" is a rather POV word (in that it implies the legal attentions are unwarranted, which isn't for us to say). Did GvH use that term (in some saying we can cite)? If so, I'd change that sentence to read:

Citing what he described as "harassment" [cite] of the Bodyworld exhibit, in the Summer of 2004 von Hagens announced that the exhibition would permanently leave Germany. [cite]

If he didn't specifically cite the cause (in a nicely quotable way), perhaps the sentence should read something like:

After several legal challenges to the Bodyworlds exhibit in Germany, in the Summer of 2004 von Hagens announced it would be leaving the country permanenty. [cite]

-- Finlay McWalter | Talk 23:16, 5 January 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Does Prof. Von Hagens intend to be plastinated?

Any word on what he plans to do with his body when he passes on? --71.222.59.133 06:03, 29 September 2007 (UTC)

He plans to section his body and plastinate the sections, using recently developed sectioning techniques, and donate it to several universities as anatomy specimens. In his own words: "That way I will be able to teach at several locations at the same time, something that I cannot do while alive". Dr.K. (talk) 04:13, 15 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Süddeutsche Zeitung

Is this really a legal accusation. Is there a law that this would be against? Perhaps the title of the section needs to be changed (there is nowhere else for this information to go at present). Thehalfone 10:57, 31 October 2007 (UTC)