Museum Exhibits

The remains of a dead person arrive at the Institutes of Anatomy in various ways. Previously, the remains of dead homeless people and prisoners were used for that purpose, around 1970-80 a living person could “sell his/herbody” for 200-300 Rubles. There used to be people who sold their bodies several times. Later, such a method of purchase was abandoned because it was against moral norms; a person cannot sell his/her remains while alive. At present, both in Europe and in Lithuania, only human remains left according to a will, or a statement of last will can be used. What does this mean? Before death, a person makes a will or writes a statement of their last will, in which they donate their body to the Institute of Anatomy. When human remains arrive at the Institute of Anatomy, they are embalmed with fixing and preserving solutions so that they can be used many times later for medical studies during practical sessions. 

In 1922-1940, the main part of the Museum of Human Anatomy was accumulated. Over the course of 80 years, of course, some of the preparations did not stand the test of time, which began as early as 1946. During the war, the museum’s exhibits were taken away and hidden in the basement, so in 1946, a huge flood that devastated the city of Kaunas flooded the basement and damaged some of the museum’s exhibits. Almost all models sculpted from clay and plaster by students were destroyed. 

The current collection contains about 80 percent of the exhibits produced before the war. The main role of the Anatomy Museum has always been to increase the efficiency of anatomy studies, but considerable scientific and pedagogical discoveries have also been made on its basis.