From the wax cast of brain ventricles (1508-9) by Leonardo da Vinci to air cast ventriculography (1918) by Walter E. Dandy

The Evolution of 3D-Anatomical Models: A Brief Historical Overview

For thousands of years, anatomical models have served as essential tools in medical instruction. While human dissections have been the regular source of information to medical students for the last few centuries, the scarcity of bodies and the religious and social taboos of previous times made the process of acquiring human cadavers a challenge. The dissection process was dependent on the availability of fresh cadavers and thus was met with a major time constraint; with poor preservation techniques, decomposition turned the process of employing bodies for instruction into a race against time. However, the advent of anatomical models has countered this issue by supplying accurate anatomical detail in a physical, three-dimensional form superior to that of the 2-dimensional illustrations previously used as the primary adjunct to dissection. Artists came together with physicians and anatomists to prepare these models, conceiving an interdisciplinary interaction that advanced anatomical instruction at a tremendous rate. These models have taken the form of metal, wood, ivory, wax, Papier-mâché, plaster, and plastic, and have ultimately evolved into the computerized and digital representations of the modern day. Herein, we provide a brief historical overview of the evolution of anatomical models from a unique neuroanatomical perspective.