The role of the pathological anatomy museum: past glory, present crisis, and future prospects

Scientific Museum and in particular pathology Museum were in the past an important landmark for Pathology and in general for Medicine. At present they are in a critical stage due to the technological progress, because they are considered by now obsolete compared to other didactic supports, so as for example CD-ROM or virtual presentations. In opposite these old collections are still very precious for Medicine, because they show old diseases, now disappeared or very rare, thanks to the therapeutic and diagnostic progresses. Furthermore they are very useful for teaching of Pathology to medical students and also to laboratory's technicians. The specimens may be used also for organisation of exhibitions, in graduate courses or medical updating courses, for a better popularisation of Anatomy or of some diseases of large environmental or social impact. For all these reasons we propose the creation of renewed museum structures and a protocol for the restoration of the specimens, which are often damaged owing to time and negligence.