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Plastination as well as anatomy courses at universities depend on people who are willing to donate their bodies after their deaths for the qualification of physicians and the instruction of laypersons. Natural specimens are particularly valuable for medical education, because the complicated structure of the locomotive system and organs as well as their spatial relationships cannot be grasped from textbooks, images, or models alone. Body donation for Plastination allow individuals to contribute to the education of future medical professionals in a special way, as the specimens will be permanently available for doctors and lay people.
The majority of the anatomical specimens on display in the BODY WORLDS exhibitions stem from the body donation program managed by the Heidelberg, Germany based, Institute for Plastination (IfP). The donors to the program are individuals who declared during their lifetime that their bodies should be made available after their deaths for the qualification of physicians and the instruction of laypersons through Plastination. Many donors emphasize that by donating their body they want to be useful to others even after their death. Their selfless donations allow others to gain unique insights into the human body, which hitherto have been reserved for physicians at best. The IfP would like to express its thanks and gratitude to all body donors, both living and deceased. Before signing a declaration of intent, all body donors are provided with detailed information about the program. An information brochure published precisely for this purpose informs donors about the Plastination technique, the history of body donation for Plastination, information about the IfP, the procedures to become a body donor, the work performed on the body at the IfP, and the use of the plastinates. By signing the consent forms and the body donor ID card, the donor confirms his or her consent. Body donation for Plastination purposes constitutes a declaration of will which may be revoked at any time.
Regular body donation meetings takes place every two years. These meetings are an opportunity for donors to personally meet and share their views with each other and Dr. Gunther von Hagens, the inventor of Plastination and Scientific Director of the IfP. Moreover, news about the BODY WORLDS exhibitions as well as new projects are presented at these meetings.
Further information about body donation for Plastination is also available at the Bundesverband für Körperspender e.V. (German Federal Association of Body Donors). If you're interested in becoming a body donor for Plastination, please contact our International Body Donation Office in Heidelberg or our body donor office in the United States. Institute for Plastination
Body Donation Department
Rathausstrasse 11
D-69126 Heidelberg
Phone: +49-6221-3311-50
Fax: +49-6221-3311-45
Email: koerperspende(at)plastination.com North American Body Donor Office
PO Box 34001
Granada Hills, CA 91394
Phone: +1-213-291-9572
Fax: +1-213-291-9582
Email: bodydonation(at)plastination.com
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