Collection of Human Anatomy

The itinerary starts from the ground floor hallway where it is possible to admire some tables taken from the Icones Anatomicae of Caldani, an atlas bound in 4 volumes accompanied by a latin explanatory text, bounded in another 4 volumes. These tables are distributed between the ground floor and the first floor and they guide the visitor through the other exhibition spaces thanks to their progressive numbering.

In the ground floor there is also the big Anatomical Room, used for exercises  on animal organs (sheep, ox, pig exc.) or on plastic models. In this room there is also one of the first electronic transmission microscopes of the Institute.

The visit continues in the ground floor, with the new “Hall of Human Anatomy Anatomical Collection”, recently created, where are exposed the anatomical waxes, and other finds of historical interest, used in the past for educational purposes (instruments for anatomical dissection and for microscopic observation of histological preparations, etc.). Of particular interest are the anatomical waxes representing heads and skeleton parts (artifacts attributed to the Sicilian ceroplastics school) and some models of embryo-fetal development, made in Freiburg by  Adolf e Friedrich Ziegler, under the direction of Wilhelm His. These models represent in a scientifically accurate way the development of parts of human embryo such as the neural tube, the heart and the reproductive system.

The itineray continues on the first floor, accessible by an internal staircase, along the walls of which are exposed other Caldani’s tables. Once on the first floor you can immediately observe another old ancient transmission electron microscope, one of the first used in the ex Electronic Microscopy Center of the University Hospital, established by the Professor Enzo Nesci. Opposite, both on the sides, there are two fine histotecas containing several thousand histological preparations displayed for educational and scientific purposes, at the beginning of the 20th century.

A scanning electron microscope is placed in the “Aula Magna” dedicated to prof. Enzo Nesci. This room is one of the few examples of anatomical amphitheatre (made in the 1930s, when the University Hospital was built) not altered by restoration works, differently from what often has happened for buildings of that time. Moreover, in this room there are: a natural skeleton and an old plasterboard model, restored thanks to a private contribution.

The hallway on the left gives access to the Direction and the Library. Along the hallway, the ancient showcases  house some natural and scientifically interesting skeleton segments (skeletons of fetus, human newborns and animals). These materials were anatomical and antropological research instruments, at the beginning of the first part of the last century. In these showcases are also exposed ancient instruments of scientific laboratory research such as microscopes, heaters, scales and many more. The hallway desk, dates back to the end of the 19th century, belonged to Prof. Riccardo Versari (disciple of Prof. Randacio) and later to Prof. Giuseppe Levi.

The itineray ends in the Library where are contained volumes of Anatomy and Medicine, from 1600 until the present day. Moreover, the library contains alle the main series of international scientific anatomical magazines (English, French, German and Italian) since its foundation (second half of the 19th century) until the early 1990s, when the advent of press digitalization has turned out-dated paper copies, favoring electronic ones.

Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neuroscience

Human Anatomy Section "Emeric Moon"

Collection of Human Anatomy

Responsible prof. Francesco Cappello

Via del Vespro 129, 90127 Palermo

For reservations: sistemamuseale@unipa.it

Free entry