The rediscovered unknown “small Ruijsch collection” of dry and wet anatomical specimens
https://doi.org/10.18499/2225-7357-2025-14-1-95-106
Abstract
Peter the Great (1672–1725) – the Russian emperor travelled through Europe during the so-called “Great Embassies” to acquire knowledge in the field of science and industrial production. In Amsterdam (Netherlands), he received as a gift from Frederik Ruijsch samples of dried and wet anatomical specimens, consisting of objects of both natural history and human origin, and currently called the “small collection”. The anatomical part of the collection consisted of 11 dry and 13 wet specimens, parts of the human body. The authors rediscovered this collection in 2016 among the exhibits of the fundamental museum of the department of normal anatomy of the Military Medical Academy (St. Petersburg, Russia). In the article we describe the current state of this historical collection, which played an important role in the acquisition of a more extensive collection by Peter the Great from Ruysch for the Kunstkamera (Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of Peter the Great in St. Petersburg). The Kunstkamera collection is open to the general public, and as a result is well known through publications in literature. On the contrary, the so-called “small collection” was, from the moment of its arrival in Russia in 1698, in the personal possession of Peter the Great. He later divided his small collection for educational purposes between the Aptekerskii Prikaz and the medical school of Nicolaas Bidloo. Around 1800, both parts of the small collection were reunited and transferred to the Medical-Surgical Academy. Today, this collection still serves educational purposes, but is not widely available to the general public. As a result, it remains virtually unknown.
Supporting agencies: A grant was received from the Dutch Research Council (NWO). The authors are grateful for the immense help and support they received from Mrs Liudmila B. Narusova, President of the Anatoly Sobchak Foundation, for access to archives of museums and libraries in Saint Petersburg. They are also thankful to the Department of Culture of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation in Moscow and the management of the Military Medical Academy in Saint Petersburg for their help and enthusiasm. We are also grateful for support of the General Consulate of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Russian Embassy in the Netherlands. The authors collaborated during the conservation process with mr. A.J van Dam, Leiden Medical University Center; the sharing of his knowledge of fluid specimens with the research team is much appreciated. Data on the conservation process are obtained from the conservation reports, which are owned by the Military Medical Academy.
About the Authors
I. A. Goriacheva
S.M. Kirov Military Medical Academy; Saint Petersburg State University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Inga A. Goriacheva – Cand. Sci. (Med.), Associate Professor; S.M. Kirov Military Medical Academy.
St. Petersburg
I. F. Hendriks
Leiden University
Netherlands
Netherlands
Ingrid F. Hendriks – PhD, MA, Researcher medical history Department of the Executive Board; Leiden University.
Leiden
F. Boer
Leiden University Medical Center
Netherlands
Netherlands
Fredrik Boer – MD, PhD, Head of Patient Relations Department; Leiden University Medical Centre.
Leiden
D. A. Zhuravlev
S.M. Kirov Military Medical Museum
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Dmitrii A. Zhuravlev – Doct. Sci. (Med.), Head of Military Medical Museum.
Saint Petersburg
I. V. Gaivoronskii
S.M. Kirov Military Medical Academy; Saint Petersburg State University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Ivan V. Gaivoronskii – Doct. Sci. (Med.), Professor, Head of Normal Human Anatomy Department of S.M. Kirov Military Medical Academy.
Akademika Lebedeva ul., 6zh, Saint-Petersburg, 194044
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For citations:
Goriacheva I.A., Hendriks I.F., Boer F., Zhuravlev D.A., Gaivoronskii I.V. The rediscovered unknown “small Ruijsch collection” of dry and wet anatomical specimens. Journal of Anatomy and Histopathology. 2025;14(1):95-106. https://doi.org/10.18499/2225-7357-2025-14-1-95-106
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