Do you like wax works; who doesn’t? Do you like anatomy; of course you do. Do you ever wish there was someway to bring both together in one place? Encyclopaedia Anatomica is just what you’re looking for.

Encyclopaedia Anatomica is a collection of photographs of anatomical wax works from the late 1800’s on display at the Museo La Specola in Florence Italy. These are wax works unlike anything you’ve ever seen, it takes a couple of looks to see that you’re not looking at photos of an actual human dissection. There are models of every internal system of the human body, including cut aways of most of the major internal organs, including a cut away of a fetus in the womb. Unlike the boring, static anatomical diagrams we all remember from our school days, these wax works look alive. You could imagine some of them getting up and walking, was it not for the fact that their stomachs are splayed open. Great care was taken to include even the smallest detail on each model down to the texture of the muscle tissue.

Encyclopaedia Anatomica is treasure trove of anatomical information for those with academic interests, morbid curiosity, or, like me, an interest in recreational vivisection. Everything you ever wanted to know about the human body is right there conveniently packed between two covers, in easy to take wax works form.