Plastination: ethical and medico-legal considerations

The international plastination phenomenon has
proved to be immensely popular with audiences world-
wide. Never before has the human body been exposed
to public gaze in such an accessible manner. The exhibi-
tions have perplexed many, included anatomists, some of
whom find the display of human bodies unethical. The
objective of this study is to review the attention on the use
of plastination and exhibition of entire human bodies for
non-educational or commercial purposes. The nature of
these exhibitions and the uneasy balance between enter-
tainment and education has caused heated debate. The
possible legitimacy of the expression of one’s will as far
as exhibition purposes isn’t considered sufficient for the
indiscriminate use of a corpse despite the ethical necessity
of respecting the wishes of individuals based on respect
for the deceased. The informed consent of an individual
represents only the most basic and minimal prerequisite
for the use of the deceased’s body for exhibition purposes,
and is absolutely not enough on its own to justify its use
in entertainment exhibitions or for the commercialization
of the death