STEP - Science and Technology in the European Periphery

CALL FOR PAPERS
Cultures of Anatomical Collections
Leiden University
15-18 February 2012
Deadline for proposals: 16 September 2011
The conference 'Cultures of Anatomical Collections' will explore
anatomical preparations and collections (preparations of human material
as well as wax- and other models) as important parts of our cultural
heritage. This means that we treat them in a similar way as we would
examine other historical artifacts stored in today's museum. Although
the history of anatomy and anatomical illustrations has been a popular
topic in the history of medicine during the last decade, the history of
its material remains has been somewhat neglected. And yet, in particular
when taking into account recent historiographies of materiality and
medical practices, it offers challenging interdisciplinary questions on
the history of anatomy as a whole. Possible topics include: How do the
technical details of anatomical preparations tell us about the ideas of
their maker; How do ideas on beauty and perfection shape preparations;
How were preparations handled and used for teaching purposes: How does
the interest of non-medical audiences shape anatomical preparations? On
collections as a whole we can ask: How are particular collections build
up; How do decisions of curators affect the build-up of collections; How
does the housing of a collection affect its outlook and popularity?
For more information see: http://www.hum.leiden.edu/researchHYPERLINK
"http://www.hum.leiden.edu/research/culturesofcollecting/news-events/eve
nts.html"http://www.hum.leiden.edu/research

/culturesofcollecting/news-events/events.html
or contact Rina Knoeff on r.knoeff@hum.leidenuniv.nl