HLTH 385W Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Ercole Lelli, Volcher Coiter, Alessandra Giliani
A brief account of the use of wax models in the study of medicine
● Wax representations were first employed in teaching anatomy early in the fourteenth
century by a young female prosecutor, Alessandra Giliani
○ Would fill veins with liquid wax and let it harden
● Middle of 15th century
○ Andrea del verrocchio was the first to use casts of the living body as posture
models for schools
■ Studied muscle
○ Leonardo Da vinci used wax casts of the brain
○ Artists were doing more dissection than anatomists
● In the 16th century, an anatomist and artist Volcher Coiter
● Frederick Ruysh perfected the art of injecting the vascular channels with wax
○ In 1696, he enunciated the doctrine that tissues were nothing but vascular
networks
○ His mastery of the craft led to the development of an improved method for
mummification and preservation of bodies from decay by an injection of arsenic
● By the beginning of the 18th century, the interest in wax models bloomed
● Guillaume Desnouse and Lacroix went to Paris and opened a museum of wax anatomical
works which was later moved to london
○ The wax works went on tour a couple of times for people to see
○ Desnouse popularized the use of wax models in france and england
● Surgeons began to realize the advantages of wax figurines over procuring human
cadavers
● Mr Peter Macculloch, a surgeon, started using wax figurines when teaching anatomy
● Ercole Lelli carved two wooden muscle figures for the renovation of the original anatomy
theatre in bologna with wax moist hemp and turpentine
○ They were carved to be tensed or relaxed as they would function while holding a
weight
● Then Giovanni Manzolini helped Lelli change the composition of the wax, but soon
surpassed his teacher and they parted ways
● Woman named Mlle Biheron was a talented sculpturist who was always criticized for
being a woman; she had no patron nor independent income
○ Other physicians didn’t let her have pupils because they were jealous
○ She was forced to leave Paris multiple times because of these feelings towards her
○ Her masterpiece was the entire body of a woman which could be opened to permit
the removal, examination, and replacement at will of all the internal organs
■ This is the first innovation in the preparation of wax models up to this
point
○ Many considered hers to be the best cabinet in europe; they looked so real
Document Summary
A brief account of the use of wax models in the study of medicine. Wax representations were first employed in teaching anatomy early in the fourteenth century by a young female prosecutor, alessandra giliani. Would fill veins with liquid wax and let it harden. Andrea del verrocchio was the first to use casts of the living body as posture models for schools. Leonardo da vinci used wax casts of the brain. Artists were doing more dissection than anatomists. In the 16th century, an anatomist and artist volcher coiter. Frederick ruysh perfected the art of injecting the vascular channels with wax. In 1696, he enunciated the doctrine that tissues were nothing but vascular networks. His mastery of the craft led to the development of an improved method for mummification and preservation of bodies from decay by an injection of arsenic. By the beginning of the 18th century, the interest in wax models bloomed.