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ID number: BIRRC-M0082 Institution: Research and Cultural Collections Named collection: Medical School Collection Artist / Maker: Ziegler, Friedrich Title / Object name: Anatomy of human embryo Object type: Model Place made: Germany Date made: 19th century Materials: Wax |
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Wax model mounted on wooden stand. Part of a set of eight. The wax models on display were used at the University of Birmingham from the early twentieth century as a teaching aid in embryology, the study of embryo development. They were employed in lectures, and replaced the development charts and diagrams that were previously used. Their three-dimensional format clarified the external and internal parts of embryos, providing enlarged portrayal of complex structures. From the mid nineteenth century, the models were also integrated into academic research, with embryologists designing new models as visual explanatory aids. The publication of Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species (1859) greatly increased their prominence, as Darwin’s theories on evolution generated a keen interest in human development, and made embryological development a popular topic amongst both academics and the general public. Most of the models were produced by Adolf Ziegler and his second son, Friedrich, whose work received international praise and dominated the wax modelling industry from the mid nineteenth century. Based in Freiburg (South Germany), Adolf Ziegler founded his modelling workshop in 1868, and was commissioned by museums, universities and individuals to make high quality embryological waxes. Ziegler presented himself as a ‘plastic publisher’, who created models from diagrams and specimens sent to him by researchers with whom he collaborated. These embryologists, who he named ‘authors’, would then ‘proof read’ initial drafts of new models, checking for errors and suggesting improvements. This led to a mutually beneficial relationship for both parties, as Ziegler was able to associate his name with renowned embryologists, such as Wilhelm His and Ernst Haeckel, whilst the ‘authors’ maintained the credit for their scientific contribution. When the elder Ziegler died in 1889, his son Friedrich took over the workshop and further improved modelling techniques by adding a coloured finish which helped clarify the specimens’ various segments. Inscriptions / Translations: 2 |
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