Nabil: Whether you’re looking to gain the appreciation of the elegance and complexity of the human body or you still think that Gluteus Maximus is the hero from Gladiator. His introduction to plastination should help.
My name is Nabil. I’m the host of watchmojo.com and here we are with the director of The Body Worlds 2, Mr. Sebastian (ph)
What exactly is plastination?
Mr. Sebastian: Well, the plastination process is a process was patented in the 1977 by Dr. Von Hagens. Dr. Von Hagens is probably the most revolutionary anatomist of our time. When he was studying anatomy, he looked at the organs and specimens in formaldehyde and he said to himself, “how can I impregnate formaldehyde inside the organs so that we can actually preserve them just after death or as they were at the time of death?”
We extract fats and fluids. Basically, items that accelerate different position of the body, replace them with polymers or elastomers through impregnation and gas and heat so that the actual specimens remain eternal. It's basically plastic.
Nabil: How long does it take to prepare a specimen?
Mr. Sebastian: A full body specimen takes anywhere between five to 12 months. It takes a long, long time. It is not necessary dissection, it's just to make sure that the body is basically extracted all of the fats and the fluids but also ensuring that all the items are exactly as they were.
For example, for this specimen this was very different than the other plastinates. The cut was very, very difficult to make and ensuring that we don’t loose any parts.
Nabil: What are some of the advantages of this technique?
Mr. Sebastian: What were told by most people is that if they are looking at a plastic model or a copy of a plastinated specimen, they don’t feel that they actually see what it's really like. So, seeing a real specimen makes a real difference for the average person.
Nabil: What are some of its limitations?
Mr. Sebastian: Most of the plastinates have copied eyes or plastic made eyes. That the only item that Dr. Von Hagens has not been able to plastinate so far.
Nabil: Are plastinated bodies being used to other ways besides this exact position?
Mr. Sebastian: The original intent was up for exhibit. The original intent was actually to use the specimens to teach anatomy and in medical schools all over the world. So they are being sent to anatomy schools and medical schools and there are 400 colleges and universities all over the world.
Nabil: Who will benefit the most from this technique?
Mr. Sebastian: Humanity. The human body at the time of death has always been reserved to people in laboratories, to the medical and professional, and specialists to actually have access to autopsies and to the pathologists. Dr. Von Hagens has said that it's the democratization of the human body.
Transcription by:
Scribe4you Transcription Services