Professor
Gunther von Hagens is an anatomist who taught
anatomy at
Heidelberg University for 20 years. He has recently become controversial because of his exhibitions, such as
Body Worlds, which make use of
real human bodies which he has processed by a procedure he calls
plastination. Many have considered his work to be more art than science, and ghoulish at that, and have accused him of exploitation for profit, which he
denies.
Body Worlds received a lot of positive feedback as well, especially from visitors, many of whom saw it as an educational experience (all the exhibits have detailed descriptions, and some, like a smoker's lungs in comparison to healthy lungs, are intended to educate about specific risks).
He also performed a controversial public dissection on of a human body on 20th November, 2002, at the art gallery where his exhibition is showing. The British authorities had previously prohibited the dissection, but Hagens ignored the proscription, stating that he violated no actual law. Scotland Yard asked several professors of medicine and policemen to watch the dissection to determine whether a crime would take place. It was the first public dissection in 170 years. It is yet to be seen whether legal proceedings will follow.