Medical Wax Cast Of Syphilitic Buboes, Late 19th Century

Medical cast of the face of a patient with syphilis. Beeswax, eyes molded by blowing into the mouth and human hair, labeled "Syphilitic buboes" and numbered "338" on an enamel plaque, permanently mounted in a display case and under glass (30 x 23 x 39 cm).
In the style of the casts preserved at the Cast Museum of Saint-Louis Hospital, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris
Late 19th century. Wax casts
Beginning in the early 19th century, casts were produced for medical practice—particularly in dermatology—for educational purposes and to illustrate and document skin diseases. To produce the casts, impressions were taken in plaster—and later also in silicone—and then cast in wax or a mixture of wax and resin. The casts were often painted directly based on the patient’s appearance, so that the casts appear very lifelike in their form.