Josephinum

Lonely Planet review

Also known as the Museum of Medical History, the Josephinum has a bizarre but fascinating collection of 200-year-old ceroplastic and wax models of the human frame, detailing the body under the skin in gory detail. Other exhibits include arcane instruments and detailed accounts of highly unpleasant looking medical operations.

The models of the human frame, created over 200 years ago by Felice Fontana and Paolo Mascagni. They were used in the Academy of Medico-Surgery, instigated by Joseph II in 1785 to improve the skills of army surgeons who lacked medical qualifications. These models, showing the make-up of the body under the skin, were intended to give the students a three-dimensional understanding of the organs, bones, veins and muscles. Three rooms of this gory lot will make you feel like you've wandered onto the set of a tacky horror movie. If you can dismiss your queasiness, the models are quite intriguing, the degree of detail a compliment to their creators.

The rest of the museum contains arcane medical instruments, photos of past practitioners and ailments, and some texts (one book is thoughtfully left open on a page dealing with the dissection of eyeballs).