Anatomical Venus, on whom pathologists of the XVIII century studied

Anatomical Venus is a life—size female wax figure, usually with real human hair and glass eyes. It was made specifically for popular science lectures on anatomy, which were held for the general public at the end of the XVIII century. Some Anatomical Venera are disassembled or opened to demonstrate the fetus in the womb. Others are presented in static states, when their internal organs are immediately visible, that is, anatomically naked.

Joanna Ebenstein from The Museum of Pathological Anatomy in Brooklyn traveled all over the world to write a story about wax models, which was included in her book The Anatomical Venus. She told Buzzfeed about her work:

"The first one was created around 1780 in Florence in Italy, where it served as the central object of the "wax encyclopedia" of the human body in the Museum of Physics and Natural History, better known as La Specola is the first truly popular science museum open to men, women and children."

"The team started by selecting illustrations from well-known medical atlases by authors such as Vesalius, Albinus or Mascagni. Then corpses and body parts were brought from the nearest hospital Santa Maria Nuova, so that every organ and every detail were made with maximum precision. The purpose of these wax figures was to replace further autopsies of human bodies that were dirty, smelly and unethical."

Université de Montpellier, collections anatomiques / Marc Dantan

Université de Montpellier, collections anatomiques / Marc Dantan

Université de Montpellier, collections anatomiques / Marc Dantan