Hygiene The story of a museum - Marres

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Museum as Discourse Moulages: from fair to scientification Casts of living people were manufactured from the 19th century onwards. These wax reproductions of diseased body parts are called ‘moulages’. Skilled mouleurs produced them in collaboration with physicians (especially dermatologists) in order to represent the different manifestations of diseases and their medical cures as realistic as possible. Using a plaster cast of the patient, a positive mold could be made from wax, which would then be painted in order to create a life-like character. Already in 1907, entrepreneur and industrialist Karl August Lingner established the Pathoplastic Institute for the manufacturing of moulages on his production site in Dresden, in preparation for the First International Hygiene Exhibition of 1911. The Hygiene-Museum, which was founded in 1912, produced moulages that were used for health education and public development in the form of educational materials and exhibitions until 1990. To this end, the moulages were adapted to a new form of information mediation: they focused less on medical rarities, but rather on the most frequent endemic diseases of the 20th century, such as tuberculosis, cancer and venereal diseases. After the entertaining shows of the 19th century that primarily focused on anatomical wonders, the museum took a first substantive step in approaching the mediation of information about the human body in a more sober, (popular) scientific manner. Nowadays, the museum collection still includes about 3,000 objects, such as moulages, plaster negatives and plaster positives. Page 4 of 41 1 Congenital syphilis wax cast from natural cast 1926–1945 mixture of waxes, glass, cardboard, crepe paper, textile The body casts of venereal diseases often presented the most typical manifestations of these diseases. Next to the various forms of syphilis, the educational materials catalogue of 1926 presented ‘non-syphilitic’ skin conditions. 2 Injury from chemical warfare wax cast from natural cast 1920–1940 mixture of waxes, wood, glass 3 Exanthema papulosum and framboesia in the face of a woman 1945–1968 (original cast 1900–1912) plaster cast after natural cast, cast of a moulage, plaster, real hair The mold is not the original cast of a body; the hair originates from a moulage that no longer exist. Nowadays, framboesia (‘raspberry disease’) refers to a contagious skin condition from the tropics, associated with rashes that have the texture of a raspberry. 4 Early stage of noma on the cheek of a boy plaster positive 1920–1945 (original cast 1900–1912) plaster, paint This heavy bacterial disease, also known as watercancer or cheeckfire, mostly manifests in children whose immune system is weakened through malnutrition, earlier diseases or deficient oral hygiene. 5 Carcinoma cutis ex verruca on the hand plaster positive 1920–1930 (original cast 1900–1912) plaster, paint The plaster positive shows skin cancer on the left hand, which grew out of a wart.
Museum as Discourse Page 5 of 41 6 Anthrax in the face of a man / A tanner with anthrax 1950–1970 (original cast 1900–1912) wax model from natural cast, mixture of waxes, paint, textile, glass, wood Anthrax is a common infectious disease amongst hoofed animals, but the pathogen can also be transmitted to humans, infecting skin, lungs or intestines. Contact with infected skin causes anthrax, which leads to festering pustules and subsequently to anthrax carbuncles. In the catalogue of Das Pathoplastische Institut Dresded of 1911, this cast is categorised under ‘occupational diseases’, as ‘a tanner with anthrax’. 7 Early syphilis / Lumps covered with rashes wax cast (moulage) from natural original 1920–1930 mixture of waxes, tissue, wood, glass Especially the education about the prevention of venereal diseases such as syphilis was built on the deterrent effect of very realistic moulages. The eyebrows of this cast are made from real hair. 8 Syphilis / Speckled skin rash 1950–1970 (original cast before 1912) wax cast from natural original, mixture of waxes, paint, wood, textile, glass 9 Two slides from slideshow 3 ‘Skin, muscles’ aa. 1923 Adult man with marked musculature from the back. Muscles of the leg, which are used when squatting. These slides originate from a slideshow from 1923 that presents the skeleton, muscles and skin of a man in 70 slides. Using microscopic images, anatomical drawings, statistics, explanatory charts and especially photographs — in which the individual muscles were highlighted even more by drawing them — the viewer got an even better image of the human anatomy.
Page 1: Hygiene The story of a museum
Page 4 and 5: Page 2 of 41
Page 8 and 9: Museum as Discourse Page 6 of 41 10
Page 12 and 13: Museum as Discourse Spalteholz From
Page 18 and 19: Museum as Practice Pathological Ima
Page 20 and 21: Museum as Practice Slideshows The s
Page 24 and 25: Museum as Practice Workshops After
Page 28 and 29: Outside the Museum In many ways, Ka
Page 30 and 31: Museum as Practice (Travelling) exh
Page 32 and 33: Page 30 of 41 47 ‘The Internation
Page 36 and 37: Museum as Ideology Period 1: Hygien
Page 40 and 41: Museum as Ideology Period 2: Hygien
Page 42 and 43: Museum as Ideology Cinema 58 ‘Mod

Hygiene The story of a museum - Marres

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?