We present a short history of anatomopathological museums in Europe. In the first part we provide an insight into the beginnings from the Renaissance until the middle of the 19 th century. We assess forms of acquisition and exhibition of the specimens concerning the steps of medicine and pathology development. The prototypes were "curiosities of nature" collections starting in the 15 th century. The next milestone collections focusing on the human body were those of Frederik Ruysch in the Netherlands (17 th century). In the 18 th century teachers in surgical and anatomical schools realized the educational power of such collections. Anatomopathology as a separate medical discipline was developing in parallel. At that time museums such as the one established by Honoré Fragonard in Paris, the Hunterian in Glasgow and Narrenturm in Vienna were created. At Polish universities in Cracow and Vilnius, such museums were beginning to emerge at the beginning of the 19 th century. Anatomopathological collections became more popular, gathering specimens: osteological, dry and mummified, as well as wet -embedded in alcohol, formalin, and mysterious mixtures. They provide a wealth of important data for scientific, medical, historical and even ethical areas, as well as methods and concepts of conservation and even recreation of human body parts.

We present an analysis of two first historically documented limb body wall complex (LBWC) cases and our own contemporary perinatal autopsy series of this rare complex. So far it was supposed that the first case of this complex was reported in 1685 by Paul Portal. Studying the Joachim Oelhaf's autopsy report from 1613 with attached engraving showing the neonate with multiple birth defects led our research team to a conclusion that it was genuinely the first description of LBWC in the medical literature so far. We compared the Oelhaf's case from 1613 and the Portal's autopsy report from 1685 with our series of LBWC cases dissected in the Medical University of Gdansk between 1999 and 2011. Reviewing 1100 autopsy reports performed we encountered 9 cases of this unique complex. The analysis was supported by the literature review.

The second part of the comprehensive work concerning pathology museums and collections presents their history since the 19 th century. The evolution and specialisation of museums, depending on the attitude of their creators and geographic localization, have been analysed. The changing aspects of obtaining the exhibits and how they were preserved, presented, and stored are also a part of this work. The methods of human organ fixation reached excellence in the 19 th century, but the rarity of some pathologies urged the scientists to recreate them artificially in models for didactic purposes. In the 19 th and 20 th centuries one could observe the flourishing development with a plateau and then decline from the second part of the 20 th century to the reorientation of the museums that took place in Europe and North America. The history of anatomopathological museums is connected with ethical problems related to acquisition of exhibits in previous centuries and especially during World War II. The changing purpose of the collections, as well as their unclear future and the impact on the visitors, are evident. For the last 50 years, many museums have been closing completely, but some collections have been digitalised and are still in permanent use. The uniqueness of old specimens with certain diseases, often long gone and not observed anymore, makes them important in many aspects nowadays. Pathology museums are themselves relics of the past, being at the same time tangible proof of ways of development in medicine, but also a way of preservation of human knowledge in a special type of relation with the human body.

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