THE man behind the controversial display of human corpses has given his most robust defence yet of the Body Worlds show.

Anatomist Gunther von Hagens rejected criticism that he was exploiting the dead - instead labelling traditional ways of displaying human remains "disrespectful".

The Body Worlds exhibition at Manchester's Museum of Science and Industry has so far attracted 145,000 visitors.

In his first full interview since his Manchester show arrived, its fedora-wearing creator said the cadavers and their lifelike poses were not irreverent but intended as a "celebration" of the human body.

Speaking to the MEN, he said: "I do make it as tasteful as possible. I would not use a human leg as a golf club or wouldn't change a brain into a cabbage or put daffodils in a bladder.

"This would not be anatomy any more. But I do not find displaying the body as a whole distasteful. I find the opposite. I think displaying a part of a body in a jar is not dignified because you cannot see the beauty of the whole body.

"In our very first show in Japan, we showed the bodies but they were not posed. People said they were frightening, ghoulish. This way people can sympathise with them and relate to them."

Boundaries

The German anatomist was accused of blurring the boundaries of art and science during his first British show in London in 2002 - where audiences were delighted but critics and scientists confused by corpses straddling horses or holding their own skin aloft.

But he claimed there was no reason why the exhibition could not be about art and education in equal measure.

He said: "A pose must show beauty and elegance and it must show activity. It must show the anatomical potential of a particular pose. I open up body doors and invite people to see what is happening inside."

The scientist also delivered his first-ever UK lecture at the museum where he faced questions from an audience of 500 members of the public. He also spoke to pupils from a number of local schools visiting the show, which has a month to run.

Since inventing the "plastination" technique for preserving the donated bodies in the 70s, von Hagen's discovery has made him a multi-millionaire.

The fact that the most recent version of the hit exhibition, which features 20 preserved corpses and 200 preserved specimens, premiered in Manchester was coup for the museum bosses.

Decision

But the decision did not please everyone. The Bishop of Manchester likened the display to modern-day "body snatching". Although all bodies on display were from willing donors - critics suggest many would not have been so willing had they seen had the final product.

But the 63-year-old, who spent two years as a political prisoner in Communist-controlled East Germany for student protests, said his experiences had made him resilient to criticism of his work.

"In the beginning I invented plastination by accident and thought it was something for the students. I realised that it was other people rather than the scientists that were interested. It was the janitor, the cleaners, and the security guard who were fascinated and took their families in to look. It took me 15 years to realise that the real power of the invention was to inform the laity about the body."

The scientists is now at the helm of a multi-million pound business empire, but had not trained in anatomy what would have been his chosen career?

"I would have gone into psychotherapy. I'm quite a good hypnotist and very good at listening to people."

Some people might be surprised that anatomists could be comfortable with live patients?

"I'm a scientific entrepreneur. I'm in charge of 320 people who work for me. Every day I'm organising exhibitions, discussing our business, conducting research and talking with the press. It's not true that anatomists don't like to talk. I'm talking to people all the time."