Art in science: the stage of the human body--the anatomical theatre of Bologna.

Abstract

Di Matteo and colleagues from the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute in Bologna, Italy share with us another extraordinary example of how medicine evolved in partnership with art. The University of Bologna is considered the oldest academic institution in the Western world, so it is no surprise that many of the finest examples of the evolution of scientific investigation and teaching originated in the expansive beauty of the Archiginnasio of Bologna. As Di Matteo and colleagues explain, this was the ancient stage upon which students observed the performances of teaching anatomy. It is serendipitous that this beautiful description of the 16 century anatomy theatre follows our discussion of The Gross Clinic by American artist Thomas Eakins in the 19 century [4], an example of the surgical theatre. This is an opportunity to compare the high drama carried out on these two stages, theatres set 300 years apart, both venues designed to be practical places for transmitting medical knowledge while also celebrating and aggrandizing the performances. Bravo! — Gary E. Friedlaender MD, Linda K. Friedlaender BA, MS