I wasn’t sure what to expect when visiting the natural history museum since we’ve only visited museums of art so far, but I found it very fascinating. There was an enormous collection of various species of each animal group. There must have done plenty of taxidermy in order to make these exhibits. The museum also had a section for crystals and natural minerals. I found many new crystals I’d never heard of and saw their unique structures. They had some artifacts that had been made out of these materials that were used by aristocrats. The museum is most known for its wax anatomy collection. This collection was made mostly during the 18th century and was the first scientific museum open to the public. Each room focused on a different section of the body and had many wax models of the organs and surrounding interior. Originally these models were used by scientists to study the anatomy of the human body, and were made by creating plaster molds of the organs of recently deceased people. The techniques and detail of these models seemed incredibly advanced for the time period. I did enjoy visiting this museum more than I would’ve expected, but I wished we had been able to spend more time there.
Jacob's Study Abroad in Italy 