[The death of moulages - wax figures in dermatology]

Dermatological moulage collections in the Nordic countries

BACKGROUND

The art of producing and acquiring dermatological wax models, moulages, flourished all over Europe in the beginning of the twentieth century, whereas very little is known about the existence of moulage collections in the Nordic countries.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to elucidate the presence, the origin, the production place, the use and the condition of dermatological moulage collections in the Nordic countries.

METHODS

In each Nordic country, an extensive survey was undertaken during spring 2016. Dermatological departments, museums with medical collections, persons assumed to have specific information about wax moulages as well as secondary sources were contacted and interviewed.

RESULTS

Several hitherto undescribed collections have survived in each country, most, however, damaged and in disrepair. One Danish and part of a Finnish collection have been restored. Only few moulages are exhibited and some have been photographed and digitalized. Denmark and Sweden have had a local moulage production. Responses to the survey indicate that the result covers all collections of dermatological moulages in the Nordic countries, though some moulages may remain in private collections unknown to the authors, or uncatalogued in museums.

CONCLUSION

Moulages are medical gems from bygone days before modern technology facilitated new means of communication. Restoration and appropriate storing should be considered for at least selected items from the Nordic collections.

[Urological moulages: forgotten three-dimensional documents between university collections and panopticum -- a dying presentation form even in urological museology]

The use of wax models traces its roots back to antiquity and appears to have reached the peak of perfection in the eighteenth century especially in Italy. From the beginning of the nineteenth century wax models and moulages were used in the new medical specialties, such as dermatology or urology depending on a new model of visualization in natural sciences. The moulage passed from local use into international acceptance with the institutionalization of the medical specialties and increase in scientific communication in the second half of the nineteenth century. By the 1970s moulages had all but lost their pre-eminent position as teaching and visual aids to depict dermatological and venereal diseases Unfortunately urology was not mentioned in the field of history of medicine or ethnic studies.