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The High Demand for Plastinated Specimens
Although the eminent importance of Plastination for medical study has
been acknowledged and there is a great deal of interest in the process,
for years now the demand for high-quality plastinated specimens for
instructional purposes has not been met. This is due to the following
reasons: Only a few academic establishments are in a
position to set up their own Plastination laboratories and to train and
pay the staff needed to maintain such a facility. The nature and size
of some academic institutions (such as nursing colleges and training
centers for medical technicians and other medical professions) would
not support such activities. New technological developments
in Plastination mean that it is now possible to preserve entire bodies.
Whole-body specimens are particularly valuable for anatomical study,
because students can examine the body in its entirety, in the same way
as they will later be examining and treating living bodies in their
entirety. Consequently, the development of Plastination has now been
getting away from preserving small individual specimens to dissecting
whole bodies. This process is technically extremely complex and is far
beyond the scope of a university laboratory. Theoretically,
manufacturers of teaching aids could remedy this situation to produce
plastinated specimens for anatomical study using the best equipment
available. However, as the production of plastinated specimens involves
major expenses, they could not be given away for free; they would have
to be sold. No one would be prepared to do this in practice, as the
sale of bodies or parts of bodies is a controversial issue in our
society and is considered unethical or morally objectionable.
This
situation not only applies to producing plastinated specimens, but to
other urgently needed human specimens as well, despite the fact that
their sale and purchase are not against the law in Germany and other
Western countries. An important and understandable reason for the
controversy surrounding this issue is due to the fact that the donors
have not expressly agreed to let their bodies be sold after their
deaths. There are neither laws which state that dead bodies must be
left intact, nor are there any which do not allow parts of such bodies
to be removed unless consent has been given. Consequently, there is a
legal gray area which the tabloid press can always interpret as
something scandalous, accusing people of getting rich at the expense of
the dead. The real question is whether such claims are fueled by a
legitimate interest or by sensationalism, but this is not an issue for
the scientific world to resolve. It is a problem for the respective
media and their audiences. There are many people who would like
to donate their bodies to medical science after their deaths. One means
of doing so is to work with the anatomical institutes of universities.
However, such establishments are unable to pass on specimens to other
academic institutions in need of such bodies, as costs would be
incurred for which they do not want to issue invoices if body donors
have not agreed to a sale. In addition, “services” like these are
technically not within the declared province of a university in most
countries. This situation is particularly awkward, as anatomical
institutes frequently have to turn down prospective body donors because
they already have more than enough bodies for their own
instruction.
For more information about the BODY DONATION Program visit the BODY DONATION website.
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