Plastination

[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.

[2] Four steps are followed 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, which include silicone, epoxy, and polyester-copolymer.

[5] In the third step, the specimen is then placed in a bath of liquid polymer, such as silicone rubber, polyester, or epoxy resin.

[citation needed] Once plastinated, the specimens and bodies are further manipulated and positioned prior to curing (hardening) of the polymer chains.

[citation needed] 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.

Soon to follow formalin, color-preserving embalming solutions were developed to preserve lifelike color and flexibility to aid in the study of the body.

[19] The plastinated specimens retain their dilated conformation by a positive pressure air flow during the curing process, which allows them to be used to teach both endoscopic technique and gastrointestinal anatomy.

[20] TTT sheet plastinates for school teaching and lay instruction provide a thorough impression of the complexity of an animal body in just one specimen.

The use of plastination allowed the use of many body parts such as muscle, nerves, bones, ligaments, and central nervous system to be preserved.

[21] The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio was the first school in the United States to use this technique to prepare gross organ specimens for use in teaching.

[29][30] Ultra-Orthodox Jews oppose post mortem organ donation, and have tried to pass laws against unclaimed cadavers being used in research.

[31] A number of religious organizations, including Catholic[32][33] and Jewish[34] ones, object to the display of plastinated body parts at public exhibitions.

[citation needed] The West Coast exhibition site opened on 22 June 2006 at the Tropicana Resort and Casino Las Vegas.