Antonio Scarpa carried out researches into:
About the half of the XVIII century, to stem the phenomenon of infant and maternal mortality, the use of that models made of durable material spread to support the anatomical demonstrations made during the courses, run by doctors both for the education of qualified midwives to carry out normal deliveries and for the education of specialized doctors/surgeons to follow deliveries with complications.
The waxes
Anatomical models of the genital female apparatus
| Three anatomical models of the female pelvis | Anatomical model of the pelvic bone |
The obstetrical terracotta
The obstetrical collection increased significantly the anatomical preparations after the Restoration, when Modena in 1815 went under the sovereignty of archduke Francesco IV of Austria Este. On a proposal of the professor of Obstetrics Antonio Boccabadati, indeed, the Este Government bought from Mrs. Angiola Febbrari fifty-two obstetrical models made of polychromic terracotta belonged to the “obstetrical study” of her brother, the doctor Francesco Febbrari.
The history of this collection was reconstructed in a few time from professor Sereni with the collaboration of professor Luigi Vaccà, rector at the Modena University, thanks to the consultation of the documents of the archives of the family. From these documents was obtained that the doctor Francesco Febbrari from Bologna, after the degree in Modena, had in 1773 the permission from Este Government to go to Bologna 3 years long, on condition that he gave instructions for the realization of obstetrical models for the Modena University. The task was given to Giovanni Battista Manfredini that realized between 1773 and 1776 the above mentioned models, among which stand out six statues of life-sized woman that show the different stages of pregnancy.
| Flayed woman bust with highlighted the Scarpa's triangle | Bust of primipara woman in advanced stage of pregnancy | Bust of primipara woman in advanced stage of pregnancy | Bust of secondipara pregnant woman |
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Flayed woman bust | Bust of pregnant woman with abdomen opened with cross section | Bust of pregnant woman with opened abdomen and incised uterus | Bust of woman in advanced stage of pregnancy with opened abdomen and uterus |
Sections
| Full term pregnancy: missing engagement of deflected head | Section of uterus: fetus with face presentation and deflected head | Full term pregnancy, breech presentation (buttocks variety) | Placenta abnormalities. First phase of manual removal | Labour dystocia in cephalic presentation (macrocephaly) |
| Labour dystocia in breech presentation (buttocks variety) | Labour dystocia in transverse position and prolapse of the cord | Labour dystocia in breech presentation (knees variety) |
| Natural childbirth in cephalic presentation, nuchal cord | Dichorial and diamniotic twin birth. Full term pregnancy | Section of uterus in full term pregnancy, natural childbirth | Natural childbirth in cephalic presentation, nuchal cord |
