http://www.museumboerhaave.nl/anatomy/overview.html

International conference on anatomical models.
Lessons in anatomy made easy: Anatomical models in scientific and cultural context.

MUSEUM BOERHAAVE
6-7 November 2008,
Leiden, The Netherlands

Anatomical models nowadays are made of plastic and so common that simple ones are sold in the department stores everywhere. The origins of these models are to be seen in the permanent exhibitions of many science museums.

Museum Boerhaave organises on the 6th and 7th of November 2008 an international conference on anatomical models in their scientific and cultural context. The occasion for this conference is the completion of the restoration of the papier-mâché anatomical models of Dr. Louis Thomas Jerôme Auzoux, one of the largest collections of this kind in the world. 

Our aim is to show and share ideas about the interdisciplinary approach of the conservation of the models. The project needed cultural-historical as well as technical input. In four sessions the subject will be approached from different perspectives:

Museum Boerhaave invites historians of science, art historians and conservators with an interest in anatomical models, whether made from wax, plaster, papier-mâché or glass, to attend this conference.

Anatomical models in historical and cultural context

Though wax models have caught the attentions of several scholars, wax is not the only material that was used by model makers. The almost forgotten French manufacturer Louis Thomas Jerôme Auzoux produced magnificent papier-mâché anatomical models of men, animal and flowers. His models were sold worldwide and used for educational purposes for almost a century and a half. 
A large collection of his models is preserved in Museum Boerhaave. 
Recently the complete collection of 73 papier-mâché models made by Dr. Auzoux is restored. 

The Auzoux models suffered from dust and moist and it was only recently that adequate conservation techniques were developed. By analysing and handling the models our knowledge of the craft, of the history of anatomy and of conservation science was combined in an attempt to make the right decisions for an optimal restoration approach. In this process questions were raised like: how accurate were Auzoux' designs? How were they used? What was their influence? 
It is the interdisciplinary field of historians of science and medicine, and conservators, which is addressed during a two days international conference in Museum Boerhaave 

Although the main focus of this conference is on papier-mâché anatomical models, the subject is placed in a broader context. A comparison will be made with wax models. The 18th century was the hay day of anatomical models. The era of the great Zumbo and Fontana, Italian artist who, with their anatomical knowledge and artistic skills, created the world best known anatomical waxes of the Specola collections in Florence. 

The ideal male and female dissections in wax made it possible to point out the spherical relations between organs and tissues. And even more important, they were always at hand. Passive reading was replaced by active looking and artificial bodies had never looked so natural.

In the 19th century anatomical models became an alternative for the gore of the decaying bodies. By then they were not only produced in wax but also in glass, papier-mâché, wood and plaster. Besides, the increased body supply from the poor had sparked of a political debate. ' Knife' anatomy was replaced by the schematics and aesthetics of the artificial anatomy. 

We would like to welcome all conservators, curators and historians who have an interest in anatomical models to attend this conference,

The organising committee:

Bart Grob, 
Curator Museum Boerhaave, 
Leiden, The Netherlands

Elizabet Nijhoff Asser, 
Conservator Mooie Boeken,
Amsterdam, The Netherlands