THE ANATOMICAL MUSEUM OF DANYLO HALYTSKY LVIV NATIONAL MEDICAL UNIVERSITY. BORYS ZIMENKOVSKY, LESYA MATESHUK-VATSEBA, ULIANA PIDVALNA, BOHDAN KORDYS, MEDYCYNA SVITU, 2020, 136 PP., ILLUS.

• Main Author: Anna Pituch-Noworolska
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shevchenko Scientific Society 2020-09-01
• Series: Праці Наукового товариства імені Шевченка. Медичні науки
• Online Access: https://mspsss.org.ua/index.php/journal/article/view/310
• ISSN: 2708-8634; 2708-8642

The book-album "The Anatomical Museum of Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University", depicting a museum in Lviv, is telling a story about one of the few unique museums in Europe dedicated to the anatomy of animals and humans. The so-called peculiarities observed in the human and animal world were displayed there and shown in private only. Then the collections were structured and displayed in dedicated university buildings with the educational purpose for medical students. Besides that, they are often unique collections showing not only parts of the skeleton and internal human organs but rare biological animalities as well. The exhibited items showing soft tissues and vessels are prepared with special techniques and special solvents preserving them. "The Anatomical Museum" is compiled in a classical form starting with the history of the building, following by the history of the collection and finally the exhibition itself. The museum is a part of the building were medical students have been educated in the basic knowledge of a human anatomy from an embryo to a senior age. The specimens collected in the museum exhibit not only the human anatomy but also animal skeletons showing evolutionary development, similarities and differences for comparative anatomy. The museum in Lviv is part of the network of similar museums and is based on an older museum organised in Kraków in Jagiellonian University’s Department of Anatomy. What draws attention in the album is not only a consistent and logical development of the topics but also great photographs of specimens in glass cabinets. By the way, there are rooms in the museum displaying the portraits of scientists' predecessors, professors and people distinguished for the history of this institution. The album is also worth attention since the authors  have made efforts to translate the text not only into English but into German and Polish as well. It is a tribute to the memory of the Polish chapter in the history of Lviv, including the Department of Anatomy, which was part of the Faculty of Medicine at Jan Casimir University. Now it is known as Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University and it preserves and maintains the best university traditions of educating future doctors. In my opinion, the album "The Anatomical Museum of Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University" is worth investigating and reading about its interesting history, although there is little information about the methods of tissue preservation and bone cleansing there. If someone is interested in anatomy, tissue and bone preparation this is the book deserving attention.