Plastination과 '죽음의 의사' 하겐스 교수의 말로를 보면서

논란의 '인체의 신비'(Body worlds) 전시회로 유명한 독일의 해부학자 군터 폰 하겐스 박사(67)가 자신의 병세가 점점 더 악화돼 가고 있으며, 숨진 후 자신의 시신도 플라스티네이션 기법으로 처리해 전시되기 원한다고 밝혔다.

 

플라스티네이션은 하겐스 박사가 개발한 약품을 이용해 인체 또는 동물체에서 수분과 지방을 제거한 뒤 합성수지를 채워 보존하는 기술이다.

 

이날 인터뷰에서 하겐스 박사는 "평생 도전 정신으로 충만했지만 질병 앞에서는 무력함을 느꼈다"며 "현재 스스로 신발 끈도 묶을 수 없을 정도로 손이 떨리고, 말하기도 어려울 정도로 죽음이 가깝게 다가온 것을 느꼈다"고 말했다.

이어 플라스티네이션 기법이 파킨슨병과 직접적인 연관은 없지만 이 과정에 쓰이는 특정 화학물질이 이 질병을 유발한다는 것이 이미 증명됐다며 실험 당시 마스크를 하지 않은 것을 너무 후회하고 있다고 덧붙였다.

한편 그는 플라스티네이션 기술을 개발해 '죽음의 의사'라는 별명을 갖게 됐다. 그의 전시는 지금까지 3300만 명의 관람객이 봤지만 윤리와 도덕적인 논란을 일으키고 있다.
Plastination is a technique or process used in anatomy to preserve bodies or body parts, first developed by Gunther von Hagens in 1977^[1]. The water and fat are replaced by certain plastics, yielding specimens that can be touched, do not smell or decay, and even retain most properties of the original sample.^[

 

History

In November 1979, Gunther von Hagens applied for a German patent, proposing the idea of preserving animal and vegetable tissues permanently by synthetic resin impregnation.^[6] Since then, von Hagens has applied for further US patents regarding work on preserving biological tissues with polymers.^[7][8]

With the success of his patents, von Hagens went on to form the Institute for Plastination in Heidelberg, Germany in 1993. The Institute of Plastination, along with von Hagens made their first showing of plastinated bodies in Japan in 1995, which drew more than three million visitors. The Institute maintains three international centres of plastination: in Germany, Kyrgyzstan and China.^[9

Process

^{The centerpiece of plastination: "forced impregnation"}

^{There were four steps in the standard process of plastination: fixation, dehydration, forced impregnation in a vacuum, and hardening.[3] Water and lipid tissues are replaced by curable polymers. Curable polymers used by plastination include silicone, epoxy and polyester-copolymer.[3]}

^{The first step of plastination is fixation.[4] Fixation, frequently utilizing a formaldehyde based solution, serves two functions. Dissecting the specimen to show specific anatomical elements can be time consuming. Formaldehyde or other preserving solutions help prevent decomposition of the tissues. They may also infer a degree of rigidity.}

 

 ^{This can be beneficial in maintaining the shape or arrangement of a specimen. A stomach might be inflated or a leg bent at the knee for example.}

 

 

^{After any necessary dissections take place, the specimen is then placed in a bath of acetone. Under freezing conditions, the acetone draws out all the water and replaces it inside the cells.[5]}

^{In the third step,}

 

 ^{the specimen is then placed in a bath of liquid polymer, such as silicone rubber, polyester or epoxy resin. By creating a vacuum, the acetone is made to boil at a low temperature. As the acetone vaporizes and leaves the cells, it draws the liquid polymer in behind it, leaving a cell filled with liquid plastic.[5]}

 

 

^{The plastic must then be cured with gas, heat, or ultraviolet light, in order to harden it.[4]}

^{A specimen can be anything from a full human body to a small piece of an animal organ, and they are known as 'plastinates'.[citation needed] once plastinated, the specimens and bodies are further manipulated and positioned prior to curing (hardening) of the polymer chains.[citation needed]}

 

 Anatomy for Beginners - Lesson 2: Circulation [3/5]

(初步者를 위한 解剖学 讲义）

 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPvPlfbjlAI