COLLECTION

Wax anatomical models' collection in the Josephinum

Austria, 18 C.

The Josephinum is the owner of one of the world's largest collections of anatomical wax models from the 18th century, commissioned by the Austrian Emperor Joseph II. The order of 1,192 pieces was made between 1781 and 1784 and fulfilled in Florence under the supervision of the physicist, anatomist and naturalist Felice Fontana, physician and anatomist Paolo Mascagni, and modeller Clemente Susini. Today, the unique collection is on display at the Josephinum and includes full-length models as well as individual body parts, organs and systems. The exhibits are stored in original vitrines of rosewood and Venetian glass.

LIBRARY

St Thomas's Hospital — Postcard sent on July 23, 1914: the day of the ultimatum to Serbia

England, 20 C. 1 half

Nightingale, Florence

Black-and-white photographic postcard showing the historic riverside buildings of St. Thomas’s Hospital in London, viewed across the River Thames from the Westminster side, c. 1910–1914; postally used 23 July 1914. Publisher: W. Straker Ltd., London. The British postal cancellation on the front is dated 23 JUL 14. The card was addressed to Bessines in the French département of Haute-Vienne and bears a French receiving postmark apparently dated 24 July 1914. The object is particularly interesting because the postal date places an ordinary tourist postcard within an extraordinary historical moment. 23 July 1914 was the day on which Austria-Hungary delivered its ultimatum to Serbia, one of the decisive events of the July Crisis that led to the First World War. 

 

Hospiz der Diakonissen-Anstalt, Kaiserswerth a. Rh., 1913
Kaiserswerth, Hospiz der Diakonissen-Anstalt

Germany, 20 C. 1 half

Fliedner, Theodor , Nightingale, Florence

Postcard titled “Hospiz der Diakonissen-Anstalt, Kaiserswerth a. Rh.” with a handwritten private message on the back, bearing a green “German Empire” 5 Pf., postally used stamp, cancelled on August 9, 1913. Cardboard, letterpress printing, handwritten text in ink.

The Training of the Surgeon : the annual address in medicine delivered at Yale University, June 27, 1904 / by William Stewart Halsted. The first edition.
The Training of the Surgeon, Yale Address 1904

USA, 20 C. 1 half

Halsted, William Steward

The training of the surgeon : the annual address in medicine delivered at Yale University, June 27, 1904 / by William Stewart Halsted. The first edition. This lecture emphasized that surgical skill must be built through rigorous, systematic training rather than quick apprenticeship. He argued for long, carefully supervised residency programs, where surgeons-in-training would gradually assume responsibility while mastering both technical skill and scientific inquiry. This lecture laid the foundation for the modern surgical residency system in the United States.

Westminster Bridge and St. Thomas’ Hospital in London, photographic postcard, 1930s.  Bridge House Real Photo Series (1930s–1940) by publisher W. H. Smith
Westminster Bridge and St. Thomas’ Hospital in London

England, 20 C. 1 half

Nightingale, Florence

Westminster Bridge and St. Thomas’ Hospital in London, Scenic photographic postcard, presumably from the 1930s, not mailed. Original title: Westminster Bridge showing St. Thomas’ Hospital, London. Series: Bridge House Real Photo Series (1930s–1940) by publisher W. H. Smith & Son, London.

Postcard, depicting the Henry VIII Gatehouse of St Bartholomew's Hospital, was published by Raphael Tuck & Sons as part of their "Aquarette" series (No. 0257) and features artwork by Charles E. Flower. Posted on 9 December 1905. Source: EuroMedSim Museum
St Barts Henry VIII Gatehouse Color Postcard

England, 20 C. 1 half

This postcard, depicting the Henry VIII Gatehouse of St Bartholomew's Hospital, was published by Raphael Tuck & Sons as part of their "Aquarette" series (No. 0257) and features artwork by Charles E. Flower. Posted on 9 December 1905, the postmark firmly establishes its use and a terminus ante quem. The publisher's imprint, "Art Publishers to Their Majesties the King & Queen," places the publication after Queen Victoria's death in January 1901, with a likely date of circa 1903–1905. The gateway itself, rebuilt in 1702 by mason John Strong, stands as a historic entrance to Britain's oldest hospital site, founded in 1123. The card captures both an Edwardian street scene and an everyday moment of correspondence from that era.

Weisenhaus, Mutterhaus and Krankenhaus of the Diaconate in Kaiserswerth a. Rh. (Diakonissie). Germany, 1917
Kaiserswerth a. Rh. Weisenhaus, Mutterhaus, Krankenhaus

Germany, 20 C. 1 half

Fliedner, Theodor , Nightingale, Florence

Postcard titled “Kaiserswerth a. Rh. Weisenhaus, Mutterhaus, Krankenhaus". The postcard cancelled 23 August 1917. 

Kaiserswerth a. Rh. Hauptkrankenhaus, Diakonissenkirche, Tabeahaus, postcard cancelled 1916
Kaiserswerth a. Rh. Hauptkrankenhaus, Diakonissenkirche, Tabeahaus

Germany, 20 C. 1 half

Fliedner, Theodor , Nightingale, Florence

Postcard titled “Kaiserswerth a. Rh. Hauptkrankenhaus, Diakonissenkirche, Tabeahaus." The postcard cancelled 26.12.1916 

Mutterhaus der Diakonissen, Kaiserswerth am Rhein (NRW). One of the World's first School of Nurses
Kaiserswerth am Rhein Diakonissenmutterhaus

Germany, 20 C. 1 half

Fliedner, Theodor , Nightingale, Florence

Postcard titled “Kaiserswerth a. Rh. Diakonissenmutterhaus,” with a message on the back, bearing a “German Empire” postally used stamp, cancelled on November 25, 1918. 

St. George’s Hospital in London. Postcard sent on April 2, 1908
St. George’s Hospital in London

England, 20 C. 1 half

Postcard with depicted St. George’s Hospital in London, sent on April 2, 1908. St. George’s Hospital was founded in 1733 at Lanesborough House near Hyde Park Corner. From its very first decades of operation, the hospital was involved in training doctors: its surgeons and physicians took on apprentices. The medical school was officially established at 1834 and since 1868, it was housed directly within the hospital complex.

Kaiserswerth a. Rh. Diakonissen Mutterhaus

Germany, 20 C. 1 half

Fliedner, Theodor , Nightingale, Florence

Postcard titled “Diakonissen Mutterhaus” with a handwritten private message on the front side, right from the photo, bearing on the back a green “German Empire” 5 Pf., postally used stamp, cancelled on August 23, 1901. Cardboard, letterpress printing, handwritten text in black ink. Printed by Wilh. Kammann, Autotypie-Anstalt, Düsseldorf. Publisher: Verlag von Lorenz Apel.

St Bartholomew’s Hospital, The Quadrangle. Publisher: Gordon Smith, 15 Stroud Green Road, N., London, c. 1908
Quadrangle, St Bartholomew's Hospital in London

England, 20 C. 1 half

Black-and-white photographic postcard depicting the Quadrangle — the courtyard with the fountain in the centre — of St Bartholomew’s Hospital (also known as St Barts) in West Smithfield, London. Published by Gordon Smith, 15 Stroud Green Road, London N., and printed in Germany. Postcard No. 251. Presumably c. 1905–1910, probably around 1908.

Postcard "Main Entrance to the Salpêtrière Hospice and Hospital in Paris". Dated: 1903–1909, mailed: September 28, 1909. Destination: Vitto, Côte-d’Or department, France.
Salpêtrière Hospice and Hospital in Paris, Main Entrance

France, 20 C. 1 half

Main Entrance to the Salpêtrière Hospice and Hospital in Paris (todays The Mazarin entrance to the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital). Postcard dated: 1903–1909. Date of mailing: September 28, 1909. Destination: Vitto, Côte-d’Or department, France. Material and technique: cardboard; monochrome photomechanical print; letterpress printing; handwritten text in ink. Language: French. Recipient: "Mr. Vachar, road worker". Postage stamp: France, 10 centimes, Semeuse lignée type — “Sower on a Lined Background”. 

Aerial view of Houses of Parliament, Westminster Bridge and St Thomas Hospital, postcard c. 1919–1920. View recto
St Thomas Hospital, Parliament and Westminster Bridge aerial view

England, 20 C. 1 half

Nightingale, Florence

This 1919–1920 aerial photographic postcard shows the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Bridge, and St. Thomas' Hospital from an "Airco 9" aircraft. It uniquely captures the Victorian pavilion-plan hospital opposite Parliament, documenting early commercial aviation and aerial photography post-WWI. The unused card, published by Aircraft Transport and Travel Ltd., offers a clear bird's-eye view of this monumental London landscape, highlighting the hospital's architecture and its prominent riverside position.

Westminster Hospital in London

England, 20 C. 1 half

A postcard showing the old Westminster Hospital in Broad Sanctuary, directly opposite Westminster Abbey. The hospital had occupied this site since 1834. The imposing castellated Gothic building seen here was substantially rebuilt in 1895, giving the institution an architectural presence more reminiscent of a medieval civic palace than a modern hospital. Westminster Hospital remained at Broad Sanctuary until 1938, when it moved to new premises near Horseferry Road. The old building was later damaged by fire in 1950 and subsequently disappeared during redevelopment of the area. Today, the hospital’s former site corresponds approximately to the open space immediately in front of the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, on the north side of Broad Sanctuary, facing Westminster Abbey.

PEOPLE

William Steward Halsted, American surgeon. Photo of 1922 made by John H. Stocksdale. Fragment of the image from the History of Medicine (IHM) Digital Collection
Halsted, William Steward

William Stewart Halsted (1852–1922) was an American surgeon, born in New York City, and one of the “Big Four” founding professors of Johns Hopkins Hospital. He studied medicine at Columbia University (graduating in 1877) and refined his skills in Europe (1878-1880). He pioneered aseptic surgical techniques, adopted German surgeons' training system and introduced the first American surgical residency program at Johns Hopkins in 1889. He established the Halstedian principles: gentle tissue handling, meticulous hemostasis, and layered wound closure. In 1889, he also became the first Chief of Surgery at Johns Hopkins. He introduced rubber surgical gloves (1890), initially to protect his nurse and future wife from skin irritation. Halsted also made major contributions to breast cancer surgery (Halstedian radical mastectomy) and the use of local anesthesia, though his experiments led to lifelong cocaine and morphine addiction. He died in 1922 in Baltimore, leaving a legacy as the architect of American modern surgical training and technique.

Theodor Fliedner (1800–1864) was a German Protestant pastor, social reformer, and founder of the first nursing school. Florence Nightingale received inspiration for her ideas there. Source: EuroMedSim
Fliedner, Theodor

Theodor Fliedner (1800–1864) was a German Protestant pastor and social reformer. In 1836, together with his wife Friederike, he founded the Kaiserswerth Deaconess Institute, combining nursing education, hospital practice, and religious service. Its model helped professionalise nursing, spread internationally, and influenced Florence Nightingale.

Giovanni Alessandro Brambilla, barone di Carpiano
Brambilla, Giovanni Alessandro

Giovanni Alessandro Brambilla, Baron di Carpiano(San Zenone al Po, April 15, 1728 – Padua, July 30, 1800, was a great Italian and Austrian surgeon, Court Surgeon of the Emperor Joseph II, founder and the first director of the Military Medicine-Surgical Academy Josephinum, Vienna, Austria

Florence Nightingale: founder of modern nursing in Great Britain
Nightingale, Florence

Florence Nightingale (1820–1910) founded modern nursing in Great Britain, transforming it from a disreputable occupation into a respected profession. Despite fierce family opposition, Nightingale persisted, eventually training at the Nursing School of Protestant Deaconesses in Kaiserswerth, Germany, in 1851. During the Crimean War, she led 38 nurses to Scutari, where she implemented sanitation measures that drastically reduced the mortality rate from 42% to 2%. Known as "The Lady with the Lamp," she also pioneered medical statistics, creating polar area diagrams to visualise preventable deaths. In 1860, she established the first secular nursing school at St Thomas' Hospital, London. Her legacy endures through International Nurses Day, celebrated on her birthday, and her foundational text Notes on Nursing.

FIRM

Columbia Dentoform Training Teeth
Columbia Dental and X-Ray—Dentoform, New York

USA, New York

Columbia Dentoform, established in 1917 by Ben Spitzer, a Columbia University Engineering School graduate, began as the Columbia Dental and X-Ray Company in Manhattan, New York. Initially, the company provided x-ray equipment for dental offices and sold articulators and attachments to dental laboratories. Ben Spritzer In 1917, it introduced metal typodonts—his first phantoms for dental teaching and practice. Today, as part of the DentalEZ family of brands, Columbia Dentoform continues to develop and provide high-quality simulation products, maintaining its commitment to improving the instructional process and learning experience for dental students globally.

MUSEUM

Mutterhaus in Kaiserswerth Diakonie. Postcard, 1910s. Source: EuroMedSim Museum
Kaiserswerther Diakonie Pflegemuseum (Museum of Nursing)

Germany, Kaiserswerth

Kaiserswerther Diakonie is an Evangelical community of deaconesses founded in 1836 by Pastor Theodor Fliedner. Here women received training in caregiving and child-rearing and lived a life of discipline and prayer. The institution included a hospital, a school, and a shelter. In 1851, Florence Nightingale, who later established the modern system of nursing in Great Britain, completed an internship here. The Kaiserswerth model spread throughout Europe, America and Russia. Today, the Diakonie remains an active institution, and its building houses a Pflegemuseum (Museum of Nursing) and a hotel in the Mutterhaus.

Entrance to the St Bartholomew's Hospital Museum
St Barts — St Bartholomew's Hospital Museum

England, London

Barts Museum in the City of London is Britain's oldest working hospital on its original site, founded in 1123 by Rahere. Housed in the Grade I listed North Wing, it reopened in October 2025 after a £5.3m restoration. Entry is free. Highlights include the Great Hall, Hogarth's murals, and the Henry VIII Gatehouse with London's only public statue of the king. Famous names: Florence Nightingale, Elizabeth Blackwell, James Paget. Literary link: Sherlock Holmes met Dr Watson here. Nearby: St Bartholomew-the-Great church and Smithfield Market. 

Articles

Wax anatomy model of the Head with superficial vessels and nerves
Anatomy wax model 'made in Italy'

Wax anatomical models designed to train physicians and educate the public were once innovative educational teaching aids. Some world-class museums including La Specola in Pisa, Josephinum in Vienna, Palazzo Poggi in Bologna, Science Museum in London, Semmelweis Museum in Budapest, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle in Paris are proud of their collections. This amazing craft, combining art and science, anatomy and chemistry, practical skill and theoretical knowledge, which stood at the forefront of innovation in the 17th and 18th centuries, originated and flourished in Northern Italy