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Court approves 'Dr. Death' preserved body museum

City authorities had attempted to block Gunther von Hagens' "Body Worlds" museum plans, citing laws banning the display of human corpses.

By Ben Hooper
Plastinated camels displayed at the "Body Worlds 3" exhibit at the Saint Louis Science Center Dec. 13, 2007. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
Plastinated camels displayed at the "Body Worlds 3" exhibit at the Saint Louis Science Center Dec. 13, 2007. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

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BERLIN, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- A German court ruled to allow the creator of the traveling "Body Worlds" exhibit to open a permanent exhibition for his preserved human bodies in Berlin.

Gunther von Hagens, the anatomist who created the traveling "Body Worlds" exhibit featuring preserved human bodies and body parts, was granted permission Friday by a Berlin court to open a permanent exhibition.

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Berlin city authorities had sought to block the opening of the museum, citing burial laws that ban the public display of human corpses.

The court said the creators of the law did not intend for it to be applied to bodies preserved using plastination, a process that replaces water and fat with plastic.

Von Hagens, nicknamed "Dr. Death" by some critics, said the museum is scheduled to open in January and will feature 20 preserved bodies and up to 200 preserved body parts.

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