In 18th-century Bologna, a woman stood over the dissection table and began cutting open a human body. This was not a scene from a horror story, but the daily work of Anna Morandi Manzolini — an anatomist who broke every convention of her era. Her wax models of organs became a revolution in medical education and found their way to universities across Europe.
From a Traditional Home to an Anatomy Laboratory
Anna Morandi was born on January 21, 1714, in Bologna, at a time when women were expected to follow a single path in life: marriage, children, and managing the household. The young Italian woman initially followed this script. At the age of twenty, she married her childhood sweetheart, Giovanni Manzolini, who lectured on anatomy at the University of Bologna.
Instead of fading into the background, Anna stepped into her husband’s world. The couple transformed their home into a private laboratory and anatomy school. Together they performed dissections, studied the structure of the human body, and created faithful reproductions. Giovanni contributed medical knowledge, while Anna brought remarkable artistic talent.
The marriage produced six children, but this did not stop Anna from pursuing her scientific passion. By the early 1750s, the couple had earned recognition not only in their hometown but throughout Italy. Their work began to attract the attention of international scholars and collectors.
Wax That Changed Medicine
Anna Morandi Manzolini’s great contribution to science was the development of a method for creating anatomical wax models. This may sound unremarkable, but in practice it revolutionized medical education. At a time when access to cadavers was limited and bodies decomposed quickly, precise wax models allowed students to study the body’s structure without constraints.
Anna didn’t create simplified diagrams. Her works were characterized by extraordinary anatomical accuracy combined with artistic mastery. Every muscle, every blood vessel was replicated with surgical precision. These models became coveted items at European universities.
Orders came in from all over Italy and from abroad. Universities in London and St. Petersburg commissioned her works. In Poland, a collection of the Italian anatomist’s works was amassed by Teofilia Konstancja from the Radziwiłł family, attesting to the reach of the Bolognese artist’s fame.
A Lonely Struggle for Survival
The year 1755 brought tragedy. Giovanni Manzolini died, leaving Anna with two surviving children and no means of income. Her situation became so dire that she had to send one of her sons, Giuseppe, to an orphanage. For a woman who had spent years building a scientific reputation, this was a true test.
Foreign universities made her tempting job offers, but Anna decided to stay in her native Bologna. To obtain an official position and financial support, she had to endure a series of humiliations. She appealed to the Pope and submitted to a grueling examination before Bologna’s academic senate.
Perseverance paid off. Anna received a modest salary of 300 lire a year and a position as an anatomy demonstrator at the University of Bologna. Most importantly, she gained official access to cadavers from the Bologna hospital, allowing her to continue her research and creative work.
Tourists at the Anatomist’s Door
In the second half of the 18th century, Anna Morandi Manzolini’s workshop became an unusual tourist attraction in Bologna. Doctors, medical students, and curious visitors from all over Europe would make pilgrimages to see her collection of wax organs and attend her lectures. A woman who, by the standards of her time, should have sat quietly at home, was drawing an international audience.
Anna died on July 9, 1774, leaving behind a legacy that would last for centuries. Her method of creating anatomical wax models was adopted by medical schools around the world and used for generations to come. She proved that scientific talent knows no gender, even though her age desperately tried to suggest otherwise.
Marcus Renfell
Marcus Renfell is a historian driven by curiosity and passion. He refuses to accept the “safe,” polished versions of the past. Instead, he brings forgotten, overlooked, and distorted stories back to life. His work blends scholarly precision with the art of storytelling, turning historical narratives into vivid, page-turning experiences.
His mission is simple: to prove that history can be gripping, alive, and deeply personal.
His debut book: Women of Science. Stories You Were Never Told
In his first publication, Marcus Renfell shines a light on the remarkable women who shaped the world of science — both the pioneers whose names we know and the brilliant minds history forgot. It’s an inspiring journey through untold stories, groundbreaking achievements, and the resilience of women who changed our understanding of the world.
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