Dr. Gunther von Hagens A Life in Science Dr. Gunther von Hagens’ life reads like He also showed an interest in science an archetypal scientist’s resume— dis- from an early age. tinguished by early precocity, scholar- ship, discovery, experimentation and He entered medical school at the Uni- invention. It is also the profi le of a man versity of Jena. While there, he began shaped by extraordinary events and to question communism and socialism marked by defi ance and daring. and widened his knowledge of politics by gathering information from Western Anatomist, inventor of Plastination, news sources. He later participated in and creator of BODY WORLDS, Dr. student protests against the invasion of von Hagens (christened Gunther Ger- Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact troops. hard Liebchen) was born in 1945 in Alt- Skalden, Posen, Poland—then part of A failed attempt to cross the Czechoslo- Germany. To escape the imminent and vakian border into Austria and freedom eventual Russian occupation of their in January of 1969 caused 23-year-old homeland, his parents placed the 5-day- von Hagens to be arrested, extradited to old infant in a laundry basket and began East Germany and imprisoned for two a six-month trek west by horse wagon. years. Th e family lived briefl y in Berlin, before fi nally settling in Greiz, where von Ha- In 1970, after West Germany’s purchase gens remained until he was 19. of his freedom, von Hagens enrolled at the University of Lubeck, where he As a child, he was diagnosed with a rare completed his medical studies in 1973. bleeding disorder that restricted his ac- A year later, after obtaining his medical tivities and required long bouts of hospi- degree, he joined the Department of An- talization. At age six, von Hagens nearly esthesiology and Emergency Medicine died and was in intensive care for many at Heidelberg University. In June 1975, months. His daily encounters there with he married Dr. Cornelia von Hagens, a doctors and nurses left an indelible im- former classmate, and adopted her last pression on him and ignited his desire to name. Th e couple had three children, become a physician. Rurik, Bera and Tona. < The Rearing HOrse With Rider, 2000 Dr. Gunther von Hagens works on positioning the mega plasti- nate. Compared to the horse, human musculature is rather puny, but the larger human brain permits signifi cantly higher intelligence. 10 | B O D Y W O R L D S 3 | June 5, 2007 | Portland Tribune and Community Newspapers.