An Example of Plastinization -- Human Skull. Bans Impacting Bodies Exhibits Using Dow Corning Chemicals and Processes
January 15, 2011
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A growing international human rights protest aimed at popular exhibits of preserved human bodies has resulted in a series of bans around the world.
If the protest movement and such bans by governments continues to spread, some observers feel it may may also impact medical research using those bodies.
Exhibits of plastinated human bodies now are banned or shut down in Seattle, Hawaii, San Francisco, California, Germany, Russia, France and Venezuela.
The bans have been enacted on the basis that the display of preserved bodies without consent of the deceased individuals is a human rights violation.
In Canada, the Chinese religious activist group Falun Gong is pursuing court action to stop such exhibits and require the bodies be buried. The morality-based group alleges some or all of the bodies are political prisoners executed in China, none of whom consented to have their bodies preserved and exhibited.
More vehement protests have arisen in Europe against the founder of the body preservation movement, Professor Gunther von Hagens, 65, who developed the plastinization process in 1979. Prosecutors in France and Germany have conducted legal investigations in the wake of a series of shocking disclosures.
Prof von Hagens' Body Worlds exhibition of dissected corpses attracted 840,000 visitors in London in 2002 despite widespread criticism and attempts to ban it.
Von Hagens uses processes and chemicals from German sources and is not involved with Dow Corning or the American developments by the University of Michigan and Corcoran Labs.
Prof. von Hagens claims that all bodies displayed in his exhibitions have been voluntarily supplied by donors who had signed written declarations before their deaths.
Von Hagens' Body Worlds website describes him as "anatomist, inventor of Plastination, and creator of BODY WORLDS - The Original Exhibitions of Real Human Bodies." Von Hagens (christened Gunther Gerhard Liebchen) was born in 1945, in Alt-Skalden, Posen, Poland, then part of Germany. He was raised in Greiz, Germany.
Some of the public exhibitions use bodies that have been preserved with polymer chemicals and processes licensed by Dow Corning Corp., of Midland.
Dr. Roy Glover, former assistant professor of anatomy at the University of Michigan, and entrepreneur Daniel P. Corcoran, formerly of Bay City, have been involved in developing the processes and providing bodies to exhibits for the past ten years.
The exhibits, conducted by Premier Exhibitions of Atlanta, Georgia, reportedly have attracted a total more than 15 million visitors at events worldwide.
The most recent ban was issued by the Seattle City Council on 19 July 2010, stating:
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF SEATTLE AS FOLLOWS:
"Section 1. Findings. The Seattle City Council finds and declares as follows:
"A. The Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, Ch. 68.64 RCW, requires any donor and specified authorized individuals to authorize the use of anatomical gifts for transplantation, therapy, research, and education purposes.
"B. Officials responsible for unclaimed human remains are required to make a good faith attempt to notify the next of kin of the decedent.
C. The public commercial display of dead human bodies must be regulated to protect individual bodily integrity, as well as the social and cultural values of the City. It is the intent of the City Council to require persons who participate in the public commercial display of dead human bodies to provide evidence of informed consent specific to the public exhibition and display of human remains from the decedent or relatives of humans whose remains are put on display, and to provide for the continued use of human remains in the educational, medical, and scientific communities to promote human health and safety.
"The passing of this ordinance proves it is possible for individuals and small groups to make change in their communities. If this exhibit is coming to your city, cite this new city ordinance as proof that cities, states and countries have banned this exhibit and continue to ban its showing in the United States as a human rights violation."
Corcoran Labs, Inc., of Traverse City, is headed by Daniel P. Corcoran, former Bay Cityan, who moved his headquarters from a building on Johnson Court in Bay City to Traverse City in 2005.
Although news media had reported the Corcoran website shut down, the firm actually has posted a warning as follows:
"ATTENTION: Visitors to this web site must agree to the following terms:
1.I understand that entering this site is completely my choice.
2.I understand that this site contains images of plastinated Anatomical specimens.
3.I understand that this site is intended for teaching professionals along with medical universities of all kinds for both men and women.
Mr. Corcoran also has established Eternal Preservation, Inc., (EPI), for funeral preservation of bodies and has posted information about the process on http://www.funeralwire.com, a source of funeral industry news.
"Since the invention of embalming the human body has anything more revolutionary been accomplished than preserving the human body forever," said Corcoran in 2006, adding:
"Eternal Preservation Incorporated (EPI) is licensed by Corcoran Laboratories, Inc., to use the patented chemicals and processes, for the life of the patents, developed by Dow Corning Corporation of Midland, Michigan to preserve anatomical tissue. These patents are licensed to Corcoran Laboratories, Inc. as a sole worldwide licensee and shall not be used by any party without the written permission of Corcoran Laboratories, Inc."
None of the municipal or statewide or national bans has targeted Corcoran's EPI. Initially the service was offered for $50,000 a body, with funeral homes receiving $5,000. No information has been revealed about how many individuals have been plastinated under this program.
The EPI service is described as follows: "The Purpose of Eternal Preservation will be to preserve the whole human body (organs, hair, skin, skeleton, brain, etc.) in the state the body was at death for virtually forever. We are going to establish an opportunity to individuals, that want the ultimate in a funeral and burial, that is not available anywhere else in the world.
"This process to preserve an individual is by polymer preservation, or more commonly known as "plastination". Our chemicals that we use from Dow Corning are the only ones we know of at this time that will preserve a whole human body with the skin intact. Polymer preservation/plastination is a five-step process that will be taught to every laboratory that is working under the control of Eternal Preservation. "The five-step process includes: 1. Fixation of the individual, 2. Washing of the individual, 3. Dehydration, 4. Polymer impregnation, and 5. Curing of the Polymer. Each one of these steps is equally important in the process to polymer preserve/plastinate an individual. There are no shortcuts. The length of time for this process can run from three to six months depending on the size and weight and the lipid (fat) content of the individual."
The University of Michigan reportedly has been using the Dow Corning chemicals and processes to produce exhibits of human body parts for medical research and teaching. Corcoran Labs also sells a variety specimens of body parts for study and research. No information is available about the source of those body parts or entire bodies.
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