"Everything but the Stench" | Lapham's Quarterly

“Björnståhl has witnessed an anatomical miracle. Marie Catherine Biheron makes models of parts of the body that are absolutely lifelike. And they do not break. She does not reveal what material they are made of, although it seems as if they were made of wax mixed with something. All parts are correctly named in Latin and Greek. She has studied this art for more than 20 years. The King of Denmark [Christian VII] is one of her customers. She sends her respects to Linnaeus.”

Letter 15 April 1769, Paris to Carl Linnaeus, Uppsala

Read the Article | Lapham’s Quarterly | Nina Rattner Gelbart

Thumbnail Image : An anatomy lesson. Oil painting.

Credit: Wellcome Collection. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)