CONTROVERSIAL BODIES

Sub-titled 'Thoughts on the Public Display of Plastinated Corpses', the book looks at the powerful sway these corpses hold over their living audiences everywhere. Plastination was invented in the 1970s by German anatomist Gunter von Hagens. The process transforms living tissues into mouldable plastic that then can be hardened into a permanent shape. He first exhibited his expertly dissected, artfully posed plastinated bodies in Japan in 1995. Controversial, fascinating, disturbing and often beautiful, they are found at Body Worlds exhibitions throughout the world and have been lauded as educational, sparked protests and drawn millions of visitors. These lively personal essays reflect on ethical, legal, cultural, religious, pedagogical and aesthetic perspectives and the ramifications of turning corpses into a spectacle of amusement. There are contributions from bioethicists, historians, physicians, anatomists, theologians and novelists who dig deeply into issues (and tissues!) that compel, upset and unsettle us all. 145pp. 2011 US first edition from John Hopkins University Press.