Posted by MrBaliHai at 8:23 PM | Permalink

As you may or may not recall from Biology class (or in my case, from repeated late-night viewings of Frankenstein), the use of cadavers in the study of human anatomy was greatly frowned upon at one time, and even when the practice became legal, the lack of proper embalming techniques meant they were only viable for a short time. Cadavers were also in chronic short-supply, so medical academies not inclined to resort to the services of graverobbers in the dead of night employed another option; realistic anatomical models carved in wood, cast in wax, or fashioned from papier mache. These models were not only useful in the teaching of anatomy, they were often works of art in their own right.

There was a large contingent of Italian and French artists involved in the production of these models, and you can still view the somewhat macabre La Specola collection of Florence's Museo Zoologico and the incredibly beautiful models of Clemente Susini at the University of Cagliari. The Smithsonian History Museum here in the US has an excellent collection of papier mache models created by French physician, Louis Auzoux.

Posted by MrBaliHai at 9:23 AM | Permalink