It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Dr. Gunther von Hagens on July 24, 2026, at the age of 81. Along with Dr. Harmon Bickley, he was a founding father of the ISP in 1986. His passing marks the loss of a truly singular figure in modern anatomical science and education. Our thoughts are with the von Hagens family and all those within our community who had the privilege of knowing him.
As the inventor of plastination in 1977 and the creator of the world-renowned BODY WORLDS exhibitions, Dr. von Hagens fundamentally transformed how the human form is understood, studied, and viewed by the general public. By replacing bodily fluids with reactive polymers, he bridged the gap between the private dissection room and society at large, allowing tens of millions of people worldwide to look beneath the skin and appreciate the intricate architecture of human biology.
His contributions extended far beyond public exhibition; the techniques developed at his laboratories—such as the Plastinarium in Guben—continue to provide invaluable educational specimens for medical schools and healthcare training institutions across the globe.
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