19th century pregnancy anatomical models from Japan,

Joanna at Morbid Anatomy just pointed to a stunning Pink Tentacle post about 19th century Japanese anatomical models of pregnancy.

David Pescovitz is Boing Boing's co-editor/managing partner. He's also a research director at Institute for the Future. On Instagram, he's @pesco.

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The Wellcome Collection in London (just acoss the road from Euston rail/tube station) has a small collection of similar teaching aids. The display includes some small ceramic dolls just like this one (although I think at least one of them is Italian, not Japanese) and ranges up to an almost-lifesize wood and fabric abdomen complete with baby, placenta, umbilical cord and membrane.

It’s a museum of medical… stuff … ancient and modern. My favourite bits are Darwin’s walking stick, a genuine shrunken head and a printed and bound copy of the human genome sequence. The sequence is split between enough densely-packed volumes that it takes up a whole wall. It’s a pretty awe-inspiring sight that really drives home how much information is packed into all of our cells.

Well worth calling in (for free, of course) if you’re ever at that end of London with an hour or two to spare.
Anonymous

The ability to remove their pelvis must make chilbirth much easier for Japanese women…
Noah Lieske

It’d be interesting to compare similar dolls from other places to find out which one is the most realistic. Noah Lieske
TheBlessedBlogger

It does seem a little morbid but at the same time it would be an awesome teaching tool and the detail (check out the pictures at Pink Tentacle) is just amazing. I can’t even imagine the kind of skill that would require. If they were available I’d buy one.
arkizzle

RedShirt @ 4

I presume that the screaming and crying, blood and amniotic spillage aren’t conducive to an academic environment.

Field trips come later :)
vamidus

Btw.

Gotta love them O-shaped laggs.

:)
holyalmost

This makes me wonder what happened when 19th century Japanese women came to the realization that the serene expression on the face of these dolls did not reflect the actual nature of childbirth. I’m thankful for that we 21st century women have that Baby Story program. No surprises for us.
RedShirt77

No breech birth head/ass?

I guess my curiosity is that in a country as populace as China. Why do you need a model? Aren’t there women dropping babies all over the place that students can watch?
Yamara

Have the Japanese ever not built robots?
RedShirt77

I meant Japan obviously