Odds and quads

Until the age of slides and computer displays, printed wallcharts and three-dimensional models were essential teaching tools within universities. Many combined scientific accuracy with great beauty and artistic skill. These are just some of the most striking examples from the extensive collection held by the University of Dundee's museum.

January 17, 2013




The anatomy of the Roman snail is explained in one of the 39 wallcharts by Paul Pfurtscheller (1855-19), most of them published in 1926. The quince flower being pollinated by a bee comes from a series on plant systematics created by Arnold Dodel-Port and his wife Carolina between 1878 and 1883.

The chart depicting the ergot fungus was based on research by Leopold Kny (1841-1916) and forms part of a series issued between 1874 and 1911, along with a 554-page explanatory textbook. So precise were Kny's drawings that they were still being used for educational purposes more than a century after the project began.

Send suggestions for this series on the treasures, oddities and curiosities owned by universities across the world to matthew.reisz@tsleducation.com.

Register to continue

Why register?

  • Registration is free and only takes a moment
  • Once registered, you can read 3 articles a month
  • Sign up for our newsletter
Register
Please Login or Register to read this article.

Sponsored