BERLIN: The Veterinary Collection of the Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin

Abstract

The Institute of Veterinary Anatomy at the Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, houses several veterinary collections, ranging from various sections with a historical background to sections showcasing veterinary plastinates, which have only been produced in recent years. For example, the Gurlt collection of the institute, which was founded by the veterinary anatomist Ernst Friedrich Gurlt (1794–1882), showcases unique preserved skeletons as well as wet specimens of malformations of domestic animals. The Ziegler collection comprises more than 160 wax models, which were used for teaching during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and are mainly based on drawings of the anatomist Wilhelm His (1831–1904). The collection of wax models consists of 48 models, mainly heads of dogs, horses, and cattle, which were produced between 1975 and 1995. Moreover, the institute houses 42 corrosion cast specimens, which for a large part have been produced from the mid-1970s until today. Also, approximately 40 anatomical models that can be taken apart and are made of gypsum and wood, originating from various epochs of twentieth-century Germany, are on display. The institute also houses a comprehensive collection of large-format wall charts, originating from the years before 1945 and from the years between 1949 and 1985, which were almost exclusively custom-made.