The Museum of Anatomy and Embryology Louis Deroubaix from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB): Wet and Other Collections

Abstract

The Museum of Anatomy and Embryology of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), part of the Laboratory of Anatomy, Biomechanics, and Organogenesis (LABO), was founded around 1838 by the anatomist and surgeon Louis Deroubaix (1813–1897) shortly after the ULB was established (Kinnaert and Louryan 2009, Louryan et al. 2010). Initially, the Museum of Anatomy and Embryology contained human specimens from the main old hospitals of Brussels. Further anatomical parts were gradually collected and dissected by successive teachers of human anatomy and their team thanks to a legal system of body donation. Since the museum’s inception, many bone and soft tissue dissections, preserved in liquid medium, have contributed to the enrichment of the collections for pedagogical purposes. Following the faculty of medicine, the museum’s geographical location has changed four times across Brussels, from the Charles de Lorraine’s palace in the city center to the present location on the periphery of the city in the university’s medical campus. An extensive veterinary bone collection is available for students in a separate building. Resulting from faculty turnover and successive curators’ areas of interest, this museum diversified over time. Figure 1 displays a general overview of the museum, including fluid collections. Various plaster orwaxmodels (e.g.,His-Stegermodels, Tramond’s wax castings, and castings from the famous collection created by Seifert and Nicolas) were progressively added, as was teratological material. As an example, Figure 2 shows a three-dimensional CT scan reformation of a newborn (preserved in fluid) with severe aprosopia (complex and rare facial malformation) as well as pathological, anthropological, odontological, and comparative anatomy specimens. New dissections, many of which are plastinated, are regularly added to the collections, while most past acquisitions were made by incorporating other collections or private donations. Plastinated material enhances material conservation and makes transport in the classrooms easier. The museum currently includes about 1,500 specimens, including fluid-preserved and dry material plus the osteological teaching collection. The Museum of Anatomy and Embryology was founded for pedagogical purposes. Therefore, most of the specimens (fluid-preserved or other) are displayed using a camera during anatomy and embryology lessons. Anatomy and embryology courses take part in a room adjacent to the museum. Moreover, specimens are displayed during anatomical demonstrations and practical sessions, alternatively using medical imaging documents and a virtual anatomy dissection table. During the learning process, switching from a booksize paper illustration to a three-dimensional image is challenging. Using real anatomical specimens helps students and allows them, among other things, to observe the scale and texture of structures to develop deeper and more extensive knowledge. Because usage of specimens can lead to damage, the condition of the specimens must be carefully monitored after each extraction from the jar. Maintaining the specimens requires regularly changing