Colored wax model mounted on a pedestal base.
Model of Ziegler's series after the Franz Keibels plate construction.
32 cm H
As the science of developmental biology emerged during the 1800s, the need grew for models to demonstrate the intricate details of embryological morphogenesis. The Swiss anatomist Wilhelm His (1831 – 1904) attempted this by collecting embryos and fetuses derived from miscarriage and prenatal deaths. Using large microtome sections and stained glass slides, he was able to prepare a number of freehand designs illustrating normal development. Following His’s instructions, Adolf Ziegler (1820 - 1889) and his son Friedrich crafted a series of wax models, many of which were sold to medical schools around the world. The models shown here were probably made in the late 1800s and acquired by the McGill Anatomy Museum in 1914.
Photograph of Ziegler (left foreground) working in the Ziegler Freiburg workshop (c 1912).
Ziegler colored wax models of human embryo mounted onto pedestal base.
Approximately 22 days
10.5 cm H
Approximately 27 days
16.5 cm H
Late 4th week
17 cm H
Late 4th week
13.5 cm H
Late 4th week
13 cm H
Late 4th week
21 cm H
Beginning of 5th week embryo
20.5 cm H
Dissected 5 week old embyo
21.5 cm H
Reference
Hopwood, Nick. Embryos in Wax: Models from the Ziegler Studio. Cambridge and Bern: Whipple Museum of the History of Science, Univ. of Cambridge, and Institute of the History of Medicine, Univ. of Bern, 2002 ISBN 0 906271 18 5
Hill, M.A. (2025, November 6) Embryology Embryology History - Ziegler Models