Vol. 43, No. 2, 1999 previous

PLASTINATION - A TEACHING AND RESEARCH TOOL

Miklošová, M., Sivrev, D.*

Faculty of Medicine
P. J. Safarik University
Šrobárova 2
040 01 Kosice
The Slovak Republic		 *Department of Anatomy, Histology and, Embryology
Medical University
Stara Zagora
Bulgaria

Summary

Plastination is the unique technique of tissue preservation developed by Prof. Gunther von Hagens in 1978.
In this process, water and lipids in biological tissues are replaced by curable polymers. There is a variety of polymers (silicone, epoxy, polyester) which are subsequently hardened, resulting in dry, odourless and durable specimens. The class of polymer used determines the optical (transparent or opaque) and mechanical (flexible or firm) properties of the impregnated specimen.
The technique includes four basic steps: fixation, dehydration, forced impregnation in a vacuum, and hardening. Basic plastination procedures are described, along with the present applications of plastination in research and in the production of preparations for teaching and museum purposes.

Key words: plastination; teaching; preservation; macroscopy

References

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Folia Veterinaria / 1999