Infighting and copyright issues
Fierce competition among corpse show producers has led to accusations of copyright theft, unfair competition and trafficking in human bodies. The fierce rivalry between Premier Exhibtions, a publicly listed company based in Atlanta, and Dr von Hagens' company, the Institute of Plastination, has moved to the courts, over everything from copyright claims to rights to the name "Body Worlds." They have each publicly hinted that their rival is engaging in unethical behaviour in acquiring bodies in China.

It is reported that part of the reason for the tension is that Premier's sole supplier of bodies, Dr Sui Hongjin, was a former general manager of Dr von Hagens' operation in Dalian.

"All the copycat exhibitions are from China," Dr von Hagens said. "And they're all using unclaimed bodies." 
Mr Geller, the chairman of Premier, counters Dr von Hagens: "He says his full body specimens are all donors, but his organs may not be from donors. Listen closely to what he says."

Issues concerning the industry
Looking at the images of corpses that have been on show, there are some specimens that raise questions. In particular the little girl with just her blood vessels remaining (she is placed on the shoulders of two plastinated adults). She was reported to have been acquired by another collection in 1935, some specimens (individual organs) are said to be over 100 years old (confirmed by Channel 4), the intent of the 8 month pregnant woman with her stomach sliced to expose the foetus are unclear. The rival corpse show companies have argued about copyright and standards, while their corpse shows make millions every year.

It is often difficult to identify which image came from which show. Control of the images means there is less open debate on individuals used in the shows. However, it is clear that the foundations of the corpse shows have a very dubious pedigree -techniques may have been perfected on bodies of disputed origin.

For example, in 2002 The Observer/Guardian revealed that although it appeared the 'whole body' exhibits were donated to von Hagens by the deceased for exhibition, some other exhibits were believed to include specimens obtained from medical institutes or museums in Russia, elsewhere in eastern Europe or China. "The identities of the whole bodies is absolutely clearly known. I can't say that of all the individual organ specimens. They come from all over the place," spokesman for the exhibition told the Observer.

In 2001 Germany's FAKT magazine traced the bodies of 56 Siberian peasants and mental patients from Novosibirsk to von Hagens' collection. The alarm was raised when 'Cyrillic characters' were identified on the skin of one body at the show (which claims to use only donated specimens) in Vienna in 1999, pointing, the magazine claimed, towards 'a former prison camp inmate'.

Von Hagens went on German TV to refute the main claim that the bodies appear in the show. It was reported that there was no denying their presence at his Institute for Plastination in Heidelberg. However, and the horror expressed by the citizens of Novosibirsk when they found out what had happened to their compatriots, shows just how deep emotions run when it comes to the appropriation of our bodies after death and any violation of 'human dignity'.

When the Observer questioned him on this subject in 2002, he almost lost his composure. "There was not a shred of truth in the allegations!" he insists. The tattooed corpse in question was a German citizen and a personal friend; the contract with the Anatomical Institute of the University of Novosibirsk, who are licensed to collect unclaimed bodies, was "entirely legal" and the specimens arrived in October 1999 "ruling out" the possibility they were used in the show, since they take two years to mummify.

In 2002 the BBC reported that "when pressed, he admitted he had stopped using bodies from a mental institution in Siberia after questions were raised over whether consent had been properly given by the patients." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/1887976.stm

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,493200,00.html
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,668874,00.html

Mr Geller, the chairman of Premier, counters Dr von Hagens: "He says his full body specimens are all donors, but his organs may not be from donors. Listen closely to what he says."


"All the copycat exhibitions are from China," Dr von Hagens said. "And they're all using unclaimed bodies."