Anatomist Gunther von Hagens, famous for his Body Worlds shows of plastinated human bodies, has triggered uproar among politicians in the German capital Berlin with a new exhibit showing two copulating corpses.

Von Hagens - who has developed the plastination process in which the bodies of donors are preserved in hard resin and dissected in slices, and sometimes put on sale as anatomy teaching aides - argues his work is legitimate.

The exhibition includes over 200 "plastinated" human bodies at various life stages - from two weeks after conception to old age, including embryos and foetuses taken from historic anatomical collections. The exhibit also shows the effects of environment and lifestyle on the developing and aging human body.

Millions of people have visited the Body Worlds exhibition which has travelled the world. Last month, a French judge shut down one of his shows, saying it was indecent.