["Norwegian scabies" in a wax model at the Pathology Museum of the University of Florence]

Med Secoli. 2008;20(1):339-49.
[Article in Italian]

Abstract

The reproduction in wax of anatomic specimens is considered a glorious Italian tradition, particularly in Florence. Indeed, the work of wax masters which was cultivated for ex-votos and statuary models, together with the development of anatomic studies under the guidance of Paolo Mascagni at the end of the eighteenth century, gave origin to several collections of waxes, among which the collection of the Museum of Anatomic Pathology holds undoubted interest. The so-called "leper", a full-scale reproduction by Luigi Calamai of a man affected with Norwegian scabies, a rare skin disease, is considered the symbol of the Museum.

Publication types

  • English Abstract
  • Historical Article

MeSH terms

  • History, 18th Century
  • History, 19th Century
  • Humans
  • Models, Anatomic*
  • Scabies / history*
  • Waxes

Substances

  • Waxes