The Josephinum, also known as the Medizinhistorisches Museum des Instituts für Geschichte der Medizin (Medical History Museum of the Institute of History of Medicine), is named after Emperor Joseph II who founded it in 1785. It is located in Vienna (Alservorstadt, 1090). It was designed by the architect Isidore Carnevale and today it houses up to 1000 wax specimens and a massive collection of anatomical and obstetrical models. It also hosts several contributions to the development in different medical fields from significant personalities such as Ignaz Semmelweis, Theodor Billroth and Sigmund Freud.1
The Josephinum as it appears in August 2016…
On the top of the facade, a Latin inscription reads as follows: "PROVIDENTIA ET AUSPICIIS / IMP. CAES. IOSEPHI II / SCHOLA ANATOMICO MEDICO CHIRURGICA / MILITUM VULNERIBUS ET MORBIS CURANDIS SANANDISQUE INSTITUTA / OMNI SUPELLECTILE SALUTARIS ARTIS QUE MANU MEDETUR INSTRUCTA." ("By virtue of the wisdom and disposition / of Emperor Caesar Joseph II / Anatomical Medical Surgical School / (was) established to take care and heal soldiers' wounds and diseases / with any mean of the medical art which cures with experienced hands".)
A big bronze statue of Hygieia can be seen in front of the building.
The Josephinum as it appeared in January 2013…
The Josephinum also has very rich deposits with busts, plates and monuments of famous physicians and surgeons.
- Photos by Luca Ambrosio moc.duolci|oisorbma_acul#| (January 2013) and Luca Borghi ti.supmacinu|ihgrob.l#| (August 2016)
- Locate the item on this Google Map
Related items:
- Allgemeines Krankenhaus plaster model
- Carl von Rokitansky's bust
- Gerard van Swieten's terracotta bust
- Giovanni Alessandro Brambilla's terracotta bust
- Instrumentarium Chirurgicum Viennense
Bibliography
- Barbara Sternthal, Christiane Druml and Moritz Stipsicz (eds.), The Josephinum. 650 years of medical history in Vienna, Brandstätter, Vienna 2014, pp. 111