The creator of the plastination method, Gunther von Hagens, died at the age of 81.

Gunther von Hagens, the German anatomist and inventor of the method of embalming and preserving anatomical preparations, which was called plastination, died at the age of 81. This was reported by the Bild newspaper on July 27, citing members of his family.

Von Hagens suffered from Parkinson's disease for many years. He died on July 24, but it has only just become known. The day before his death, he was admitted to the Heidelberg Clinic due to a cerebral hemorrhage.

The method of plastination developed by von Hagens revolutionized the teaching of anatomy. The technology, created in 1977, allows biological preparations to be preserved almost forever. According to his company, more than 58 million people have visited the Worlds of the Body traveling exhibitions so far. On them, von Hagens demonstrated plastinated human bodies and organs in order to make anatomy accessible to the general public.

Von Hagens' wife, Angelina Walley, emphasized that his goal was to help people become more aware of their own bodies. Even during his lifetime, the anatomist repeatedly stated that after death he wanted to undergo plastination himself. The family intends to fulfill this wish. A possible demonstration site is called the "Plastinarium" in Guben, which von Hagens opened in 2006. All human plates are made exclusively from the bodies of voluntary donors who, during their lifetime, signed an agreement to transfer their remains to science. Von Hagens was born on January 10, 1945. He became widely known under the name of his first wife. In 2015, a permanent museum of plates was opened in Berlin, the work of which has repeatedly been the subject of litigation.