A Body of Evidence: An Art Historical perspective on Eighteenth and ...

Introduction
The Harry Brookes Allen Museum, the museum <strong>of</strong> anatomy at the University <strong>of</strong>
Melbourne, is the embodiment <strong>of</strong> scientific detachment. The floor is highly
polished; the doors and display cabinets are without any ornament. These
elements underscore the didactic purpose <strong>of</strong> this museum. Human body parts
preserved in alcohol, or ‘wet models’ 1 are the most prominent and featured
exhibits, but there are also eight wax anatomical models. These anatomical
models are <strong>of</strong> a different epoch from the wet models that date to the 1950s. The
models are delicately executed in tinted wax; either supported by turned wooden
pedestals or laid out on carefully arranged treated cloth. 2 Many demonstrate the
internal workings <strong>of</strong> specific areas <strong>of</strong> the human body such as the hand or ear
canal. One particularly arresting model is <strong>of</strong> a dissected infant showing the
brightly coloured abdominal cavity and organs (Fig.1). The delicacy and the
external finish <strong>of</strong> these models is quite different to the approach taken in
anatomical drawings and models from more recent periods that are also in the
collection. The juxtaposition <strong>of</strong> these models, to unadorned scientific objects
within an anatomy museum, illustrates the progressive establishment <strong>of</strong>
medicine as a discipline.
1 These specimens were collected during the 1950’s and consist <strong>of</strong> various body parts suspended in a fixing
solution within sealed perspex boxes.
2 See attached appendix for detailed description <strong>of</strong> each model.