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The photo above of what appears to be a wax dying Christ was taken on a trip to Europe in 1994. I am not sure where, but might well have been Austria or Germany. If anybody knows from whence it came, we would be most grateful if you'd let us know! Email joanna [at] morbidanatomymuseum [dot] org with any leads!

We have many wonderful goings on this week at Morbid Anatomy, but first, a special alert: Morbid Anatomy is currently seeking a 2011 or later model Macbook laptop in order to upgrade our A/V system. Donor will receive a one-year membership. If you can help, please email  cristina [at] morbidanatomymuseum.org! AND: to all you collectors out there: if you are interested in participating in our Dilettanti Society show and tell happy hour ( here  for previous incarnation), please email  info@morbidanatomymuseum.org , subject line: Dilettanti! For new events this week: First up is an official save the date for our  First Annual Morbid Anatomy Saint Florian Gowanus Pageant and Procession ; we are still accepting proposals for short works for this event, responding to the ideas relating to the Gowanus Canal or saints (Sunday, August 16; more here ). We also have  Dial P for Pagan: Madeline Schwartzman's Campus of Curiosities Shown on 16mm Film ! (Wednesd...

Below is a guest post by our good friend Michael Sappol, author of A Traffic of Dead Bodies , curator of Dream Anatomy , and historian at The National Library of Medicine . It was originally posted on their wonderful Circulating Now blog. Is empathy innate? Are we all born with the ability to identify with the emotions of others, to feel someone else’s pain? Today’s media is chock full of stories about experiments in neuroscience and child psychology that seem to show that the emergence and growth of the ability to empathize is a natural part of human psychological development, present even in toddlers. Yet human beings periodically commit terrible acts of cruelty and violence, and are often indifferent to suffering. What if the development of empathy is a precious and fragile cultural accomplishment, something that has developed in fits and starts over time, in certain historical moments, in certain places, among certain people? Maybe most people have the ability to empathize, but w...

I have just been alerted to an exciting new touring historical anatomical museum now seeking funding. Their project description follows; you can find out more--and make a contribution!--by clicking here . You can visit them on Facebook here . Thanks so much to Morbid Anatomy Reporter at Large Eric Huang for sending this my way! Historical Anatomy Museum Please contribute to help preserve the historical traveling medical and anatomy museum know as Panoptikum - Grand Musée Anatomique. The "panoptikum," a display where the exhibits surround the observer, is one of the oldest kinds of fairground attractions. Be it a waxwork display, sideshow or a traveling museum - the panoptikum was not only entertainment but also had an educational aspect. With today's fun-fairs, carnivals and amusement parks focused of the thrill aspects of mega-rides the classic fun-fair museum show has faded into the background and is now seldom seen . Paradox Sideshows has resurrected the traditional t...

The First Annual Morbid Anatomy Saint Florian Gowanus Pageant Call for Works Sunday, August 16th Call for works now ended. You can see full lineup and details here and below. Tickets can be found here . Thanks, and hope to see you there! ++++++++++++++++++ TALKS: --E. P. Bell (graduate student, Rutgers University) tracing the roots of this lost ritual and how it was discovered --Forensic Pathologist Jay Stahl-Herz, MD on the post-mortem challenges presented by bodies found in water --Ksenya Malina on processional banners used by members of lay confraternity orders in medieval and Renaissance Italy --AMNH's Erin Chapman with "A Short Illustrated Bestiary of the Gowanus" --Lady Ayea on the complexities involved in finding the right patron saint for sideshow performers with sword swallowing demonstration --Urban explorer Will Ellis (Abandoned NYC) about The Batcave, a famous Gowanus abandoned space --Professor Amy Herzog: TBA FILMS --Short films curated by Imagine Science F...

Below is a guest post on anatomical modernist Fritz Kahn and "Physiological Ads for the Modern Self" by our good friend Michael Sappol, author of A Traffic of Dead Bodies , curator of Dream Anatomy , and historian at the National Library of Medicine . It was originally posted on their wonderful Circulating Now blog. Fritz Kahn (1888–1968), a German-Jewish physician-author, was the first great exponent of the conceptual medical illustration—illustrations that go beyond the representation of human anatomy to visually explain processes that occur within the human body. His published works, aimed at a mass readership, contain thousands of imaginative images, produced by a cadre of talented commercial artists. In Kahn’s Das Leben des Menschen (5 vols., 1922–31), many of the illustrations copy the look of contem­porary advertisement, with display type, sub­headings, physically attractive models, etc. But they are not intended to sell a product: instead the human body, its structu...

Morbid Anatomy Reader Brittany Bennett created a life sized contemporary flap anatomy based on her love of the work of Johan Remmelin . You can see images above and a description of the project below. You can see more of her work by clicking here . I'm a recent graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts pursuing a career in medical illustration. I wanted to share my thesis project with Morbid Anatomy since it is deeply influenced by my passionate study of anatomy, dissection, medical art history, and medical museums. Also because Morbid Anatomy was one of the first resources I looked at when I started to consider medical illustration. For my project I created an interactive anatomical flap mannequin that it is entirely hand drawn and life size. The inspiration for this project came from my experience drawing from cadavers and viewing Johan Remmelin's anatomical fap book (1617) which I saw during my internship with Librarian, Annie Brogan, at the Historical Medical Libra...