Anatomical Theatre as Experimental Space

Patents and the experimental space: social, legal and geographical dimensions of 3D bioprinting

“…In the approach proposed here, the space is considered as a key and active element. In this sense, there are some similarities between the approach proposed here and that adopted by Schwarte (2005). However, in his analysis of the anatomical theatres of the seventeenth century, Schwarte thought of experimental spaces as closed, welldefined, and tightly regulated premises where a certain kind of anatomical epistemology could be produced.…”

Anatomy 3.0: Rediscovering Theatrum Anatomicum in the wake of Covid‐19

“…As a social practice, dissections often were sanctioned by the crown, open to the public, dramatic in dialogue (lectures in Latin), dramaturgically role specific (dissection by a barber/surgeon under the direction of the professor/speaker), and sometimes accompanied by food, music, and related “distractions” to mask the odor of the decomposing body. Outside, street vendors competed with jugglers, minstrels, and dancing bears for the attention and patronage of those additionally gathered (Brockbank, 1968; Davison, 1969; Schwarte, 2005; Schumacher, 2007; Bleeker, 2008). Over time, these theaters also took their architectural form and performance cues from the emerging popularity of more “lay” theatrics (e.g., drama, comedy, music) with the rise of the Elizabethan era's London's Rose theater (1587) and the Globe (1599); along with Renaissance Europe's Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza (1580) and the Teatro all'Antica in Sabbioneta (1590).…”

The freedom to teach (at the best)

“…From its beginnings as a modality of instruction, lectures have often been supplemented with demonstrations, and even today successful lecturers will often not rely on the spoken word alone, but also project images, as well as include props and animated demonstrations to make the educational content more engaging and memorable 4–7 . An early example for an enriched lecture modality is the anatomical theater which combined a lecture‐style presentation with the dissection of cadavers for anatomical instruction 8,9 . Among other early lecture‐supporting technologies was the use of chalk and blackboards adding a visual component to the verbal presentation, a technology that is still used today in some fields of education, for example, for mathematic instruction 10 .…”