Location: The museum’s collections are displayed in several locations throughout the city of Florence. Relevant to the study of the history of medicine are:
- the Zoology “La Specola” Collection (located at Via Romana 17, 50125, Florence),
- the Anthropology Collection (Via del Proconsolo 12, 50125, Florence),
- the Chemistry Collection (Via della Lastruccia, 3-13, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino),
- the Biomedical Collection (Largo Brambilla, 3, 50134, Florence), and
- the Botanical Garden (Via Pier Antonio Micheli 3, 50121, Florence).
Access: The Zoology and Anthropology Collections and the Botanical Garden are open to the public (paid entry), while the Chemistry and Biomedical Collections can only be visited with a reservation and guided tour.
Contact: edu@msn.unifi.it (general inquiries)
- the Zoology “La Specola” Collection luca.bartolozzi@unifi.it (Luca Bartolozzi, Head of Section),
- the Anthropology Collection monica.zavattaro@unifi.it (Monica Zavattaro, Head of Section),
- the Biomedical Collection chiara.sali@unifi.it (Chiara Sali), and
- the Botanical Garden paolo.luzzi@unifi.it (Paolo Luzzi, Head of Section)
Telephone: 055 2756444
Website Address: http://www.msn.unifi.it/
The Zoology Collection contains 1,400 wax anatomical models. These models, created between the late 18th and early 19th centuries and renowned for their detail and accuracy, were used for teaching medicine.
The Biomedical Collection is housed in three museums within the Careggi Hospital: the Anatomical Museum, the Pathological Museum, and the Museum of Forensic Medicine, as well as the Laboratory of Physiology located in the Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Florence. The Anatomical Museum contains preserved specimens (dried, preserved in liquid) which are organized by body system (digestive, nervous, cardiovascular, etc.). The museum also contains several preserved fetuses and embryos. The Pathological Museum contains wax and plaster models as well as preserved specimens which document pathological cases from the nineteenth century which were seen as significant due to their rarity or severity. The Pathology Museum also contains archival material documenting the health of Florence and its citizens in the 19th and 20th centuries. Among its holdings are a register of autopsies 1839-1887, autopsy reports 1925-1994, and clinical histories of patients who died 1839-1887. The Museum of Forensic Medicine contains a diverse array of material dating back to the 19th century. Among its holdings are tools of forensic analysis from 1800 to present, weapons and other instruments used in the commission of crimes, preserved anatomical specimens, a skull with a phrenological map, fragments of skin with tattoos removed during autopsy, forensic photographs, and the medical records of poisoning cases treated at the Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova. The Laboratory of Physiology contains about 200 exhibits of medical and scientific instruments, primarily from the period 1880-1940.
The Anthropology Collection contains objects illustrating the customs and traditions of different peoples around the world. This includes religious objects, idols and amulets, and artifacts related to death, mourning, and fertility.
The Chemistry Collection contains tools such as microscopes, precision scales, and thermometers dating from 1800 to 1950.
The Botanical Garden began in 1545 as a garden of medicinal plants is one of the oldest gardens in the world. Today, it still contains several specimens of medicinal plants.