A moulage museum is not just a museum : Wax models as teaching instruments

Abstract

The technique of making moulages (wax models) for the teaching of anatomy was introduced in Florence from the late 1600s. Studying the moulages was a much more pleasant way of learning anatomy than the alternative of dissecting dead bodies, when the tissues were undergoing postmortem decay. The technique spread to other medical schools in Europe as well as to England, Russia, North and South America, and Japan. The introduction of photography in the late 1800s made the moulageurs redundant. However, all of these countries now have historical museums that exhibit the specimens that remain from this period. A few moulageurs did continue to make specimens, mainly of dermatological conditions, right into the late 1900s. In 2005, the University of Zurich opened a new museum to showcase some such moulages made by local artists.