BODY WORLDS The Original Exhibition of Real Human Bodies. Never before has an exhibition moved the public as profoundly and changed the view of personal corporeality as strongly as has Gunther von Hagens BODY WORLDS. Through the aesthetic presentation of real, anatomically prepared human bodies, the exhibition uses death to convey descriptive knowledge about life and lets it become a deeply impressive encounter with ones bodily interior. More than 26 million people worldwide, of which 6 million in Germany, have experienced this encounter. This catalog shows the anatomical specimens that have been prepared and preserved with a special technique invented by Gunther von Hagens. In addition to the medical-anatomical description of the human body, the catalog contains contributions to the topics of anatomy and plastination, posed specimens, and mandatory interment, as well as articles written by renowned scientists from the fields of anatomy and medical history, philosophy, aesthetics and art history, biology, and religious studies. The chapter about the anatomy and function of the human body is divided into the following 1. The Locomotive System 2. The Nervous System 3. The Respiratory System 4. The Cardiovascular System 5. The Digestive System 6. The Urinary Tract and Reproductive Organs 7. Prenatal Development 8. Whole-Body Plastinates