The doctor and artist Gunther von Hagens, who was nicknamed "Doctor Death," has turned 81, his family announced on Monday.
The family adds in a statement that it was Gunther von Hagens' own wish that his body be preserved through so-called plastination, just as the dead human bodies included in his exhibitions were.
Von Hagens' exhibitions, which toured the world for many years, displayed human bodies, organs and body parts. "Body Worlds" led to debate about whether it is ethical to display human corpses in exhibitions.
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