In different parts of the world, people deal with death and dying in a variety of ways, with as many different funerary rituals as there are fish in the sea. The same is true for the ways in which different human groups ‘process’ and/or ‘preserve’ their dead. As I see it, plastination is yet another method of processing albeit a recently developed method.
The plastination of human bodies is generating much discussion and controversy as the exhibits increasingly gain mainstream publicity.
Extremely simplified, the process of plastination, the polymer impregnation of perishable biological specimens is the dehydrating of the body using acetone, followed by the insertion of liquid plastic polymers into the various soft tissues, (veins, muscles and organs). The body is then placed in a vacuum chamber, where it hardens and is ultimately preserved. This process can be done on any body human or animal in whole or in part.
Gunther von Hagens’ Body Words Exhibits (1, 2, and 3) comprised of volunteer body donors are marketed as Anatomical Exhibitions of Real Human Bodies; and have been described as provocative and awe-inspiring. Dr. von Hagens’ first collection of plastinates was exhibited during the winter of 1997/98 in Mannheim, Germany at the Museum for Technology and Labor. Currently, Body Worlds 2 is in Boston until January 7th, 2007; and Body Worlds 3 is in Vancouver until January 14th, 2007.
I met Dr. von Hagens at the Ontario Science Centre during a lecture series inspired by the Body Worlds exhibits. He discussed his conviction that the ability and the pleasure to look inside, understand and appreciate the human body should not be solely for the scientific community and the students of medicine. He is very down to earth, and he was very open to discussing the issues generated during the question period. I spoke with him briefly afterward about his valuable work, and had him sign my exhibition catalogue. (And I couldn’t resist having my photo taken with him).
At the very entrance to the Body Worlds 2 exhibit at the OSC, there stood a large solitary glass monument a tribute to the men and women who donated their bodies to be plastinated for the purpose of exhibit; without whom the exhibition would not have been possible, it stated. It was very tasteful, and a very fitting reminder that these were once living people.
I was lucky enough to view the plastination exhibit several times during the five-month period it was at the OSC. It was truly enthralling. I was only one of 427,090 visitors, and I insisted that my family see it, and that is where my Father completed his body donor card, which were at the end of the exhibit.
On one occasion when I was there, a group of demonstrators (who had not seen the exhibition) gathered outside the main doors to ‘peacefully protest’ the exhibit, by playing guitar and singing songs A few of them held signs that read ‘she was somebody’s sister’; and I though to myself, and she chose to be here.
I didn’t agree with their protest; I thought it uninformed.
Global Rituals
In every part of the world death and funerary rituals and customs differ. In fact, many of the ways in which different cultural groups ‘process’ the dead may be considered unusual maybe even gruesome.
The Zoroastrian Parsees for instance, believe that a dead body is unclean. To prevent contaminating the natural elements of the earth, as a burial in the ground would, they have traditionally left their dead exposed, for the flesh to be eaten by vultures on funerary towers called the Towers of Silence. Once picked clean, the bones remain there until the skeleton has been completely bleached by the sun and the wind; then they are all tossed into an ossuary pit at the centre of the tower.
And then there is cryonics (frequently though incorrectly called cryogenics): the practice of cryo-preserving, (essentially cooling without freezing), and therefore halting physical decay when life can no longer be sustained by contemporary medicine. The hope is that when and if future medical technology allows, the patients will be healed, rejuvenated, and finally awakened to live an extended life in good health. However, the process is currently not reversible, and by law can only be performed on humans when they are officially ‘brain dead’.
Mummification is yet another example, made famous by the Egyptians. To mummify a body, a whole is made in the left side, and the liver, lungs, stomach and intestines are removed, while the heart is left inside. A long hook is then insterted in through the nose to mutilate the brain; which is then extracted the same way. The body is then stuffed and covered with natron a white crystaline mineral salt to dry it out. The body is then wrapped head first and amulets are placed among the layers.
Then there are the infamous Amazonian ‘shrunken heads’ known as the trophies of savage war. To begin this process, the head is skinned, and the skull is removed. The eyes, lips, and back of the head are sewn shut, and the head is ceremoniously cured and preserved, initially by boiling it in herbs. Hot sand and stones are then poured inside, through the neck, to dry it out. The features are then re-defined, and the hair is singed to the desired length. To complete the head, it is smoked over a fire, then rubbed with charcoal, and polished.
Finally, the Fore people of New Guinea had an interesting custom in the early 1900′s. Mortuary cannibalism was so prevalent among the South Fore people that it was blamed for causing the spread of a neurodegenerative disease called kuru. When someone died, the maternal relatives were responsible for dismembering the body, and many parts of the deceased were eaten, including many of the internal organs and the brain, which was predominantly eaten by the women and children.
There is no end of the unusual rituals surrounding death; I could go on and on, but I believe I have made my point.
In light of the above, I don’t quite understand why plastination specifically has caused such a controversy.
