The Anatomical Theatre in Leiden

The anatomical theatre in Leiden was a combination of research and teaching institution, of museum und spectacle. Public anatomical dissections normally took place in winter. Usually (but not always), a demonstration lasted for three days, after which the stench and decay of the corpse made further work impossible.

Willem Swanenburgh (1581/1582–1612), The Anatomical Theatre in Leiden, copperplate engraving from a drawing by Johannes Woudanus, 1610; source: Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg, Inv.-Nr. HB 25433 Kaps 1198.