Bodies and the construction of knowledge: Anatomical collections in nineteenth-century Mexico

By Ariadna Cecilia Casimiro Reyes, UAM

In 1873, Leopoldo Río de la Loza, the director of the Escuela Nacional de Medicina, in Mexico City, bought anatomical wax models from the prestigious French workshop of T. Vasseur, one of the most important at the end of the 19th century -responsible for starting the collection of the Hospital de Saint Louis-, which sold this type of pieces internationally through catalogs. The acquisition of this collection of anatomical waxes responded to an increasing interest in improving the collections of anatomy museums, a matter of interest to public institutions and private collectors alike. But why did this type of collecting become necessary? How were these anatomy collections built? And what kind of scientific, political, and social factors shaped the collection of anatomical objects?

Anatomical wax from the workshop of T. Vasseur. It shows the face of a child with prurigo on his face, currently exhibited at the UNAM Museum of Mexican Medicine, Mexico City.

Throughout the 19th century, after the instability produced by the Mexican War of Independence (1810-1821), a process of institutionalization and reorganization of medicine began. Gradually, doctors acquired greater political and social relevance, especially during the government of Porfirio Díaz, -known as Porfiriato (1876-1911)-, when they consolidated their authority based on their scientific knowledge.

Wax model made in the Vasseur workshop showing part of the muscles and internal organs of the upper part of the human body. Museum of Mexican Medicine of the UNAM, Mexico City.

At that time, medical knowledge was based on the clinical method: that is, to approach diseases, all the senses were used to search bodies for signs of disease, the alterations they caused in certain tissues, and possible solutions. To give continuity to clinical observation, and for teaching purposes, doctors collected anatomical pieces they considered of interest. In general, the institutional collections increased their holdings through exchanges and purchases in the context of national and international networks and thanks to the efforts of and donations from private collectors. For example, in 1872 doctor Manuel S. Soriano donated 67 anatomical specimens to the Museo Anatómico of the Escuela Nacional de Medicina, which would earn him public recognition. The objects that made up collections were produced with various materials and techniques: preparations of natural organs and tissues, mummies, photographs, drawings, and realistic figures made of wax, plaster, and papier-mâché, although there was a marked preference for natural specimens. In fact, in Mexico, most of the anatomical collections were made up of organic material and, in this sense, the collection of waxes acquired in Paris was an exception, possibly because it was a prestigious object that, at that time, was annexed to the most important anatomy museums in the world.

Doctor Manuel S. Soriano, carte de visite, 1880. Photo Library INAH, available in: https://mediateca.inah.gob.mx/islandora_74/islandora/object/fotografia%3A391275

Finally, it is important to highlight the fact that most of the natural anatomies were obtained from the corpses of public charity hospitals, which tended to the more marginalized sectors of the population. It is possible to identify that the doctors made distinctions between bodies, producing the objectification of some of them, mainly those from the lower strata of society, who were used in the elaboration of anatomical pieces. In this way, doctors gave continuity to social distinctions even after death.

Doctor Leopoldo Río de la Loza, portrait, 1864. Photo library INAH, available in: https://mediateca.inah.gob.mx/islandora_74/islandora/object/fotografia%3A39241

OpenEdition suggests that you cite this post as follows:
Nathalie Richard (October 25, 2022). Bodies and the construction of knowledge: Anatomical collections in nineteenth-century Mexico. SciCoMove — Scientific Collections on the Move. Retrieved April 28, 2025 from https://doi.org/10.58079/twtc


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