The Josephinum or officially known as “Collegium Medico-Chirurgicum-Josephinum” was built as an academic institution for army surgeons and midwives in training. It was founded in 1785 under Emperor Joseph II (hence the name), a neo-Classical building in Alsergrund. When it was opened, it was given an imperial endowment for anatomical wax models along with an assortment of botanical, zoological and geological samples. The models were made in Florence, Italy under the supervision of Paolo Mascagni and historical accounts account for the laborious transport on donkeys that crossed over the mountain ranges in Austria to get to Vienna. The medical academy became one of the premier learning institutions for surgeons in Vienna up until the early 1840s. However it was closed down for a few years between 1849 to 1853 whereupon it was re-opened the following year under the Military Academy.
While it has maintained its original purpose, the Josephinum today is more known for its museum where the well-preserved wax models are on permanent display as part of the Collections of the Medical University of Vienna. There are six rooms in the museum. The first two house a collection of a variety of surgical and medical books and tools used from the 18th to the 20th centuries – an assortment of instruments such as the first stethoscope, the sphygmomanometer and many others can be found here. The third room focuses on the specialized fields of Obstetrics and Ophthalmology and the last three rooms hold the anatomical wax models. One of the most notable items is the Anatomical Venus.
