Analysis of Plastination Technique - Research Paper Example

 Analysis of Plastination Technique “Stace Owens has no intention of leaving this world when he dies. He plans to stick around for decades or longer, preserved in plastic and displayed in a museum or medical school.” These are the words in which a news report presented a donor of plastination. These words actually compile the meaning of the process of plastination which is basically a process of preservation of human body and its parts by means of selected polymers which assist in keeping the body and the specimens intact. The father of this technique is Dr. Gunther Von Hagens who presented this research in the year 1978 in Germany. The process of plastination has yielded exemplary and intriguing results as it works towards the preservation of the human bodies by techniques which are superior to all previous methods acquired for the purpose. Hence, plastination has served as a step which proves the advancement in the scientific and technological field and this development has proved to be beneficial in many ways. It has been welcomed by the scientific community and other groups considering it an important milestone in research. But this development and progress has been hindered at certain stages due to the ethical implications associated with this process. Plastination has served to benefit people who want to learn about science and technology. It is a process which assists in maintaining the form of the human body. The process of plastination results in providing specimens which are not toxic as well as do not have any bad odor unlike other preserved materials. They are also more long lasting and capture the delicacies of the specimens in place. The resultant body obtained after carrying out all the processes of preservation serves to present a very true picture of the human body retaining the anatomical aspects in place. It is for this reason that plastination has assisted students of anatomy and other scientific fields to have a proper view and presentation of the human body. Not only does it properly explain the external features of the human body, the exhibitions of plastination have served to show the intact preserved human organs. Plastination can serve to be useful for utilization in the subjects of anatomy, pathology and forensic medicine. The pathological perspective involves the preservation of normal organs as well as the pathological organs. The comparison between the diseased and the normal organs have led people to quit certain habits like smoking. These comparisons can hence serve to be beneficial for initiating campaigns and drives in health programs. It also assists in the preservation of specimens in forensic medicine and retaining the integrity of the collected samples which can serve to be crucial evidence. In this way plastination can assist the forensic experts in maintaining samples in their true shape and prevent the loss of important findings. The process of plastination is a very lengthy process which takes two to three months for the specimen to get ready. Thus, as compared to other processes it takes more time which can be considered as a drawback of this process but considering the benefit that the specimen is very near to the true sample, this shortcoming can be compensated for. Issues have been raised on the process of plastination as it cannot be ethically justified. This is because it has been criticized by religious groups as well as by the ethical groups. The religious groups present the argument that this act of changing the natural course of the human body by not burying it is not correct and is an acting of challenging God as well as religion. The ethical groups have a stronger argument presenting the fact that this public display of the human body is actually an insult to the remains of humans. They argue that since the purpose of these specimens is for studies, then there is no strong point behind the displays and exhibitions of these bodies. Hence this is considered to be unethical. Other groups argue that proper consent from the people is not obtained for this purpose and their bodies are utilized illegally. Before the process of plastination existed, the education of the students of anatomy was still there and forensic cases were still solved and evidence was retained. Thus basing the justification of plastination only on the basis that it is an essential step for research cannot let go of the ethical viewpoint because ethics form an important part of this world. Advancements in science and technology have always been subject to ethical issues and plastination is also one such issue. But with time and awareness, this process has gained popularity owing to the benefits that it provides and by the year 2007, 7000 people had formally consented to donating their bodies for the purpose. Most of the new researches that are initiated such as embryonic stem cell research and the process of cloud seeding are met with criticism and the lack of funds and support has prevented in yielding the most appropriate results. These procedures hold their benefits for example embryonic stem cell research possesses the potential of curing a large number of diseases and cloud seeding can help in providing water in areas of shortage and for meeting the needs of the people. Plastination is also one such process. Proper funding and support for this process is essential; to uphold the work that is going on with regard to this research. It has been beneficial to the scientific community as well as to students who are researching. The benefits are stronger and hence it is justified. Plastination is a process which helps in preserving specimens in a very true shape. They are of assistance to the students of anatomy. It is also beneficial in the fields of forensic medicine as well as serve important purposes in pathology as it can shows the true picture of pathological specimens. Despite of these benefits, this process has received ethical as well as religious objections because it is believed that the public display of human specimens is unjustifiable on any ground as well as the fact that proper consent is not taken from the donors. But plastination is a research which needs to be promoted and its benefits outweigh the negative points. This is because it is a research which teaches about human anatomy and might also present other long term benefits. At one of the exhibitions, plastination was put in the following words summarizing its aspects ,"What is man that thou shouldst remember him, mortal man that thou shouldst care for him? Yet thou has made him little less than God, him with glory and honor." References Associated Press. Plastinated bodies stick around after death. (2007). Retrieved from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18679776/ International Society for Plastination. About Plastination. (2008). Retrieved from http://isp.plastination.org/aboutplastination.html Maria Wiering. Controversial human body exhibit raises ethical questions. (2006). Retrieved from http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=20448 Vandana Mehta. A Review on Plastination Process, Uses and Ethical Issues. (2007). Retrieved from http://www.indmedica.com/journals.php?journalid=9&issueid=96&articleid=1309&action=article Read More