Anatomy for Beginners

Anatomy for Beginners is a television show created by Gunther von Hagens.

In this 4-part series, Dr Gunther von Hagens and Professor John Lee demonstrated the anatomical structure and workings of the body. The 4 episodes were screened in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 in 2005.

The show features public anatomy demonstrations with the use of real human cadavers and live nude models, carried out at Gunther von Hagens’ “Institute for Plastination” in Heidelberg, Germany.

Dr von Hagens’ public demonstrations are not formal anatomy dissections performed by medical students in some countries as part of their medical training. Formal dissection are performed slowly and take dozens of hours of dissection. Anatomy for Beginners performs quicker autopsy and also combines with demonstration of plastinated body parts and specimens to gives just a glimpse of the human anatomy.

The individuals on whom the demonstration was performed had, before their death, enrolled on von Hagens’ body donor programme and consented to the use of their bodies for public education in anatomy, including public demonstration.