DISSECTION DURING THE MODERN PERIOD HI 



Because of this, many students from Scotland, where they were 

 experiencing anatomical difficulties, migrated there to complete 

 their medical education. There is evidence that initial efforts at 

 embalming were made in Holland. Frederick Ruysch (1683-1731) 

 was considered to be a master at making injections and corrosion 

 specimens (Blaine, '51; Cunningham, '03; Kerr, '01). 



That the same fate befell Holland as did Germany is indi- 

 cated by a statement of Sigerist ('34). He stated that many uni- 

 versities in Europe were having great difficulty in obtaining a 

 sufficient number of cadavers and that, in Holland, they had to 

 be imported from the colonies. 



E. Austria 



The first anatomical theatre was opened in Austria (Vienna) 

 in the year of 1718 and a chair of anatomy established in 1739. 

 The government of that country lent every aid to promote ana- 

 tomical science and the law was relatively liberal. Only unclaimed 

 bodies were used for dissection and these were released to the 

 teachers forty-eight hours after death. In Vienna, the supply came 

 from the general hospital and this was sufficient for ordinary 

 purposes. It was not necessary to resort to illegal means (Gutt- 

 macher, '35; Korns, '37; Lonsdale, 1870). 



Because of this situation, the early Vienna schools also at- 

 tracted students from the United Kingdom, who were handi- 

 capped by lack of cadavers. But again, the brakes were applied 

 to the flow of subjects to the medical institutions, due in part to 

 private, charitable and religious societies, which claimed nearly 

 every body. In 1921, the students in anatomy had little opportu- 

 nity to dissect and had to be satisfied with skeletons and museum 

 specimens. Now and then, one group watched another anatomize. 

 Some efforts were made to rectify this situation and further legis- 

 lation was suggested (Correspondence, '21; Lonsdale, 1870). 



The situation became acute apparently as early as 1912. 

 The number of students applying to the University of Vienna was 

 creasing to such an extent that accommodations became inade- 

 quate. Repeated applications to the government to consider im- 

 provements were unsuccessful. In 1911, 1,500 students were put in 



1 J 



