Gallery: The Plastinarium of Dr. von Hagens

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    Vincent Fournier
    01

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    A head specimen.
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    Vincent Fournier
    02

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    Sixty-eight-year-old scientist Gunther von Hagens with his dog, Bella, outside the former textile mill where his team dissects and plastinates specimens of myriad creatures.
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    Vincent Fournier
    03

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    The carcass of a giraffe, its spots turned pale in an ethanol solution, lies at the bottom of a pool—pliable and ready for dissection.
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    Vincent Fournier
    04

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    These specimens have gone through the entire plastination process and are ready for inspection by von Hagen’s production chief.
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    Vincent Fournier
    05

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    A pair of plastinated legs after the final step of the process: curing. This hardening is typically done with gas.
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    Vincent Fournier
    06

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    A blood vessel configuration of a bull's heart covered with fake gold.
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    Vincent Fournier
    07

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    A neck, positioned and fixed with the help of wires, needles, clamps, and foam blocks.
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