Michael Jackson set to be 'plastinated' after missing the deadline for cryogenic freezing
By Daily Mail Reporter and Allan Hall
Last updated at 7:21 PM on 26th June 2009
Michael Jackson will live on as a 'plastinated' creature preserved by controversial German doctor Gunther von Hagens after missing the deadline for cryogenic freezing.
It was widely believed that the singer, who died yesterday from a heart attack, was interested in having his body frozen in the hope he could later be brought back to life.
However, it is now likely to be too late for his wish to be granted as the freezing process - cryonics - must be initiated almost immediately after death but an autopsy on Jackson's body still needs to be carried out.
Von Hagens, who has caused widespread controversy with his practice of preserving corpses with polyurethane, today declared: 'An agreement is in place to plastinate the King of Pop.'
Von Hagens said that he spoke with representatives of the Jackson family 'many months ago' and it was agreed that his body will be plastinated and placed next to Bubbles, his late pet monkey who was also plastinated a number of years ago and is currently exhibited at The Body Worlds & Mirror Of Time exhibition at the O2 in London.
Refuted by everyone from the pope to the chief rabbi in Israel, 'plastination' is when corpses are embalmed with preserving polyurethane and frozen forever.
In contrast, cryonics is the cooling of legally dead people to liquid nitrogen temperature where physical decay essentially stops, with the idea that technology developed in the future will be able to revive them.
No-one has ever been revived using this process although it is a popular subject in science fiction films such as Forever Young featuring Mel Gibson.
Despite this, cryogenic freezing has become more popular over time.
Media mogul Simon Cowell caused headlines recently after he said that he wanted to undergo the process.
'Medical science is bound to work out a way of bringing us back to life in the next century or so, and I want to be available when they do,' he said.
Speaking of Michael's final requests, Dr von Hagens also confirmed that he wanted to be reunited with Bubbles.
'There is no better place than to do this at the venue where Jackson was due to perform his world record 50-date tour,' said a spokesman for von Hagens.
He added: 'Whilst von Hagens is keen to keep the pose of the superstar's plastinate under wraps, he hinted that the moonwalk position would naturally be favoured.
'It is hoped the exhibit will be unveiled towards the end of July for all fans to visit and pay their respects.'
Cryogenic freezing is offered in America by the Alcor Life Extension Foundation and Cryonics Institute.
Between them, they currently have 178 frozen patients and 1,000 members signed up to the scheme.
How cryonics works
The medical process is a complicated one. Immediately after a cryonic patient's death certificate is signed by a doctor, a cryonics team restores the heartbeat and respiration using a machine to help keep cells in organs and tissues alive.
The patient's body is then cooled from body temperature (37C) to 10C as quickly as possible using ice.
Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson played a character from the 1930s who was frozen for 60 years in the 1992 film Forever Young
Medication is added to their bloodstream to help preserve the body.
Blood is then removed from the body and replaced with a saline-like solution that stops the shrinking or swelling of cells and tissues.
Anti-freeze agents are added to the blood vessels and the body is placed in a special cooling box where it is cooled to between -120C and -196C and stored away.
However, for this process to have any chance of working, the cryonic process must be started just minutes after 'legal death' is verified by doctors.
This is because a dead person's brain will start to experience a build-up of lactic acid at room temperature. Within 24 hours it will have virtually dissolved.
So with an autopsy on Michael Jackson expected 24 hours after his death, it's already too late for the Peter Pan of pop who never wanted to grow up.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1195750/Michael-Jackson-set-plastinated-missing-deadline-cryogenic-freezing.html#
