7/23/2011 1Toledo

Georgii Belov, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Pathologic Morphology, Kyrgyz-Russian Slavonic University,

Dinara Idarova, Institute of Polymeric Technologies, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Brief History of Plastination

in Kyrgyzstan

7/23/2011Toledo 2

Reasons for Locating the Centre for Plastination in Kyrgyzstan.

Secular society structure.

Unusual burial traditions.

Strong level of medical education compared to regional standards.

Low labor cost for medical doctors.

7/23/2011Toledo 3

Majority of Kyrgyz people identify with

Muslim religion.

Christianity is the second most common

religion.

However, the societal and political structure is

very secular.

Traditions, rather than religion, define

behavior.

Secular society structure

7/23/2011Toledo 4

Burial Traditions in Kyrgyzstan Historically, bodies of the

deceased were not buried.

Remains were kept in ceramic vessels.

Burana tower, main shrine of Kara-Khanids of Balasugan, holds many such vessels from 9-13th centuries A.D.

7/23/2011Toledo 5

Burial Traditions of Kyrgyzstan

In Muslim traditions, bodies

are buried on the day of

death before sunset.

By contrast, nomadic

Kyrgyz people awaited

relatives of the deceased to

come to the funeral.

Kyrgyz people employed

primitive embalming

methods and death masks.Golden death mask of Shamsin

clad.

7/23/2011Toledo 6

~2,500 Medical Doctor graduates

per year for a population of

~5,000,000.

Many graduate leave Kyrgyzstan for

better opportunities.

Medical education in Kyrgyzstan

7/23/2011Toledo 7

Majority of medical doctors are employed by the state.

State salary for a pathologist is $1200 per annum (2002).

Kyrgyzstan was deemed a favorable location for the Centre for Plastination.

Medical system in Kyrgyzstan

7/23/2011Toledo 8

Soviet LegacyKyrgyz Medical Academy has a history of scientific work pertaining to medical displays/museums.

Yuri Lopuhin, graduate of Kyrgyz Medical Academy and later at Moscow Medical Institute of Pirogov, was responsible for care of Lenin’s mummy in Red Square.

7/23/2011Toledo 9

Recent History of Plasitinaion

New developments in morphological specimens are associated with the plastination methods developed and patented by Dr. Gunther von Hagens.

Centre for Plastination in Kyrgyzstan was opened in 1997, at the department of topographical anatomy, State Kyrgyz Medical Academy .

Many medical doctors and biologists were trained for preparation of plastination specimens.

7/23/2011Toledo 10

Recent History of Plasitinaion

In 1998, the first hall of the

Plastination Museum was opened.

In 2000, the second hall was

opened.

This has been the largest investment

project in medicine in Kyrgyzstan.

The newest technologies of

sectional, 3-dimensional and

corrosion anatomic specimens

developed by Dr. Gunther von

Hagens have been introduced for

teaching and research process.

7/23/2011Toledo 11

The Museum of Plastination in Bishkek

The Museum of

Plastination

established in

Bishkek has more

than 1500

plastinated

specimens, including

15 whole anatomic

bodies.

7/23/2011Toledo 12

Teaching specimens

plastinated in Kyrgyzstan.

Focus on detailing of nervous, circulatory, and muscle system.

The Museum of Plastination in Bishkek

7/23/2011Toledo 13

Initially, the plastination process was done by the existing staff in the morphology department and even medical students (Centre of Plastination).

Later, the Institute for Morphology and Polymer Technology was created and separate staff was engaged for the Institute. Management, bookkeeping, and museum professionals were hired.

I, Georgii Belov, was the Director of the newly created Institute.

I worked in that function from January 2002.

The Museum of Plastination in Bishkek

7/23/2011Toledo 14

The Museum of Plastination in Bishkek

7/23/2011Toledo 15

The Museum of Plastination in Bishkek

The Museum became a place for training of first year students, but also for practicing physicians and surgeons.

Mobile training sessions on several topics were organized for students of other universities, schools, and colleges.

Many foreign guests, physicians and laypersons, people of different faiths expressed their delight.

7/23/2011Toledo 16

Visitors to the museum in 2003 were surveyed anonymously.

500 visitors:

234 – medical students

74 – other higher education

students

83 – high school students

40 – medical doctors

34 – other medical professionals

35 – unrelated to medicine

As seen from the graph on the right, 486 visitors agree to the need for the museum for medical education, 4 disagreed, and 10chose not to answer.

Survey: Need for the Center for Plastination to the Medical Education

97%

1% 2%

Yes No chose not to answer.

7/23/2011Toledo 17

Survey: Attitude Towards Utilization of Plastinated

Specimens

90% showed positive response.

7% were neutral.

3% were against.

.

90%

3% 7%

positivt against neutral.

7/23/2011Toledo 18

Multiple Response Survey: Preferred tools for Independent Learning Anatomy. 88% favored human

anatomical specimen (including plastinated specimens).

3% were against using human specimens.

17% also favored anatomical atlases.

12% also favored other graphic tools.

16.5% also liked artificial models of organs.

234 medical students from the original data were surveyed.

0 20 40 60 80 100

favored human anatomical specimen

against using human specimens

also favored anatomical atlases

also favored other graphic tools

liked artificial models of organs

7/23/2011Toledo 19

Plastinated Human Specimens versus Other Human Specimens

7% of medical students (surveyed in the previous

graph) did not favor plastinated sepcimens over

traditional preparations.

This is due to the fact that the Department of

Pathological Anatomy at the State Medical Academy

has a unique collection of specimens. These

specimens were collected over a long period of time

and represent very unusual pathologies.

7/23/2011Toledo 20

Multimple Response Survey: Benefits of Plastination

Specimens over Specimens Prepared in Formalin

Lack of smell and other undesirable sensory inputs (touch) – 54.7%.

Longevity and ease of use –49.5%

High illustrative quality –33.2%

Higher tolerance, among first-year students, allowing to overcome the psychological barrier–29%

No benefits – 2.6%

Same sample set of 234 medical student visitors.

Survey allowed for multiple responses.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Lack of smell and other undesirable

sensory inputs

Longevity and ease of use

High illustrative quality

Higher tolerance

No benefits

7/23/2011Toledo 21

95.3% recommended periodic renewal/addition of specimens.

71% wanted direct involvement in preparation of specimens.

92% agreed that visits to the Museum increase awareness about healthcare among general public.

73.8% agreed that the Museum should be open to general public.

Only 9.4% believed that access should be limited to medical profesionals and academic visitors.

Multiple Response Survey: Recommendations/Comments

for the Plastination Museum

7/23/2011Toledo 22

Survey: Attitude Towards Donation of Body (Not Specified Use). 21% of non-medical professionals visitors were open to body

donation.

11% of non-medical professionals were against.

8% of medical professionals were open to body donation.

15% were against.

7/23/2011Toledo 23

Involvement of Politicians The legal basis concerning

anatomic specimens in Kyrgyzstan was imperfect in the early 2000’s.

President (rector) of the State Medical Academy in Kyrgyzstan was also a senator in the Kyrgyz Parliament.

He actively questioned the misuse of the money provided by the World Bank for the medical reform in Kyrgyzstan.

Retaliatory involvement of politicians in research and teaching process broke off all activity on plastination.

7/23/2011Toledo 24

Politicians Involvement in the Centre for Plastination

Senior Advisor to the

President (1999-

2005)

O.I. Ibraimov

Representative to the Kyrgyz

Parliament, Leader of Afgan War

Veterans Party (2000-2010).

Currently arrested and being

prosecuted for corruption.

President of the

State Medical

Academy

I. Akylbekov

Died 01/16/.2010

Chief of Stuff,

President’s Office

(2002-2005)

K. D. Djanuzakov

Currently arrested and being

prosecuted for corruption.

Senior advisor wanted the President of the Medical Academy removed due to his activities as a senator, questioning grant allocations.

The Centre was used to the remove the President of the Academy through criminal proceedings on organ trafficing.

The Centre was accused of acting as a front for stealing and exporting human organs to Germany.

After the President of the Academy was removed and the Centre was closed, criminal proceedings halted.

7/23/2011Toledo 25

Current State of Education Using Human Specimens.

Use of human organs, including surgical amputated material and placenta, are restricted by health legislation.

Quality of teaching and learning the anatomy has decreased.

The sanitary and technical state of morgues has worsened, and problems of temporary storage and burial of unclaimed corpses remain unsolved.

It isn’t work for visitor

7/23/2011Toledo 26

Current Focus on Animal Specimens.

Some of the trained personnel are currently working on a private enterprise with a focus on animal specimens.

Technologies by Dr. Von Hagens are being used and further developed, but only with animal specimens.

Scientific work is focused on perfecting corrosion-based plastination methods.

Historically, animal species were used as models for human diseases. This technology furthers this tradition but allows for superior and unmatched illustrative quality.

Focus on animal species is not limited to anatomy. Specimen developed with this technology can be employed in evolutionary biology, experimental pathology.

7/23/2011Toledo 27

Specimens of Animal Origin

7/23/2011Toledo 28

Specimens of Animal Origin

7/23/2011Toledo 29

Thank You!

Georgii Belov