Abstract
This study looks at 'scientific', 'documentary' images historically used in teaching and in science, in this case focusing specifically on anatomical images. It focuses mainly on illustrations and three-dimensional wax and plaster models from the 16th-19th centuries (from the period of the Enlightenment in particular) that related to obstetrics and to human reproduction more generally.
Drawing on a selection of French (e.g. F.
Mauriceau), British (W. Hunter, H.
Smellie), Italian (including the models from the museums in Florence and Bologna that were used for teaching), German (T. S.
Soemmerring), and 'Czech' (M. Walkmberský, J.
Procháska, J. Jungmann) examples, the study identifies some specific contributions made by this field of medical knowledge.