The Italian Society for the History of Medicine (S.I.S.M.) is pleased to present the first conference dedicated to the study of anatomical theatres 'The Art and Space of Anatomy: Origins, History and Functions of Anatomical Theatres'.

The meeting will be held in Bologna, Italy, on 17 and 18 November 2023, at Aula delle Adunanze of Medical and Surgical Society of Bologna, set in the historical Archiginnasio complex. The event has the patronage of the Italian Society of Anatomy and Histology, the Medical and Surgical Society of Bologna and Consolato Generale della Repubblica Federale di Germania a Milano.

 

Organised by the Section on Anatomical Theatres of the S.I.S.M. (Project THESA - THEatre Science Anatomy), the international conference focuses on the history of anatomical theatres, shedding light on their role in science, on the interdisciplinary nature of the activities they have hosted, on their architectural and stylistic evolution, and on their contemporary life. The surviving anatomical theatres constitute a unique historical heritage within cities, representing the meeting place between scientific research and artistic creation, which took place in a continuous dialogue with contextual social and religious changes.

The aim of the conference is to collect the fragmentary existing information on the construction of anatomical theatres, their design and architecture, and the functioning and organisation of anatomy lessons. Various researchers have been conducted on the individual constructions, but a unified and multidisciplinary perspective on the subject is lacking to date. A further aim, therefore, is to create a supranational network of researchers committed to demonstrating the relevance of anatomical theatres in the history of medicine and art, as well as within society.

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Between the XVI and XIX centuries, temporary and permanent kinds of structures purposely dedicated to the exploration of the animal and human body were erected throughout Europe, ranging from the historical theatres of Padua, Bologna, Pisa, Leiden, and Uppsala to the modern architecture of Berlin, Paris, and Pavia, amongst other locations. The rising complexity of the anatomical dissection, the proliferation of findings and the introduction of innovative instruments led doctors to transform anatomy lessons from a public, almost folkloric event to a progressively scientific investigation with a highly defined structure and procedures. Based on the tight ties between physicians, architects, and artists, as well as the exchange of educational materials, one could argue that these theatres shared a common European development horizon. Non-European realities also played a role in the development of dissection and, consequently, of anatomical theatre architecture: in the XIX century, anatomy theatres were built in the United States, including those in Maryland and Virginia. The architect Benjamin Latrobe used the Parisian plans to build the Pennsylvania Medical Hall in 1804.