'Dr Death' Brings Inside-Out Animals To UK

The controversial German anatomist who shocked crowds with his exhibition of preserved human bodies has now done the same with some of the world's largest animals.

Dr Gunther von Hagens became famous after developing a technique for preserving biological tissue in a process called plastination, which he demonstrated in his Body Worlds shows.

From April 6, the Natural History Museum in London will host Animal Inside Out.

The exhibition includes nearly 100 specimens, including gorillas, ostriches, giraffes and elephants.

Getting under the skin of the creatures, visitors will be able to see the different systems that keep bodies alive.

One exhibit is a four-ton elephant - the heaviest creature the museum has ever had on display.

Another is a porbeagle shark that has had its skin removed to show the blood vessel system underneath.

Members of the public will learn about animals' muscles, digestive systems and skeletons on what the museum calls an "anatomical safari".

None of the animals used in the exhibition were killed for the plastination process.

Dr von Hagens invented plastination, which replaced fluids with silicon, in 1977 and founded the Institute of Plastination in Heidelberg in 1993.

He later became known as Dr Death in his home country.

It was at this time that he started to experiment with whole body specimens with each one taking up to 1,500 man hours to prepare.

But the process has been criticised by many, including religious groups, with some believing it to be macabre and disrespectful.

In January 2011, Dr von Hagens announced that he was dying from Parkinson's disease and that after his death his wife would plastinate his body and put his preserved corpse on display as part of the Body Worlds exhibitions.