Collezione di Anatomia Patologica e Teratologia Veterinaria "Alessandrini - Ercolani" - Ozzano dell'Emilia

TEMPORARILY CLOSED - museum was established based on the collection of the Laboratory of Comparative Anatomy of the Pontifical University of Bologna, commenced during Napoleonic rule under the direction of Germano Azzoguidi (1807–14) followed by Gaetano Gandolfi (1814–19). It currently has more than 2800 preparations. The colour drawings and, above all, the marvellous models made of plaster, clay and wax, reproducing original pathological specimens that are identical in size and colour, are extraordinary. The collection of animal skeletons with deformities is significant in terms of both size and the rarity of the specimens. There is a large collection of examples of joint diseases, which has been admired by experts on human and comparative arthrology. Furthermore, the museum collection is important on an artistic and historical level (the colour models are unique in veterinary pathology and many of them document diseases that have since been eradicated, such as contagious bovine pleuropneumonia), as well as an educational one, because the collection also has examples of current pathologies that are useful for classroom demonstrations. After the papal government was restored, following Gandolfì’s death in 1819 Antonio Alessandrini headed the museum and in his 42-year career at the university (1819–61) he expanded the collection to such an extent that it gained international renown. In addition to the comparative anatomy section, Alessandrini also paid enormous attention to that of pathological anatomy and teratology, as indicated in the catalogue he published in 1854. The two collections – normal and pathological – of Alessandrini’s museum were split up in 1863, following the unification of Italy: the former remained with the Chair of Comparative Anatomy of the Faculty of Science, whereas the latter was acquired by the Chair of Comparative Pathological Anatomy, held that year by Giovan Battista Ercolani. Ercolani re-examined all the material, transferring the specimens pertaining to human medicine to the Chair of Human Pathological Anatomy held by Cesare Taruffi (1821–1902), the eminent author of an unrivalled treatise on teratology, and then re-catalogued those related to veterinary medicine. Under Ercolani, who continued to rely on the work of Cesare Bettini, the collection – initially composed of 1705 preparations – was further supplemented in the 19th century and was further expanded in the 20th century under the leadership of Pietro Gherardini, Luigi Montroni and Paolo Stefano Marcato, who succeeded each other as head of Veterinary Pathological Anatomy from the 1930s to the modern day. The museum moved to the new headquarters of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Ozzano Emilia in 2003 and its set-up was supervised by Sergio Biavati, who has held the Chair in Teratology for years. Biavati re-catalogued the collection and introduced new display cases in order to enhance the display of the preparations.