Manipal's Anatomy Museum Gets A Facelift

One of the largest anatomy museums in Asia is getting a makeover. With central air-conditioning in place, the Manipal Anatomy Museum, located on the way to the Manipal.Edu building will now be open exclusively for curious visitors who want to unravel the mysteries of the human body. The renovation, which will cost the authorities Rs 1, 50,000 will be funded by the University. The museum renovation which was supposed to be finished three months ago was delayed due to technical reasons. The museum plans to re-open by the end of September. Visitors can expect a hike in the ticket price, which was previously only Rs. 2.

“Previously the museum was used by students of M.B.B.S. at Manipal University, for academics too and allowed visitors. But because of the rush of visitors between the months of September and February, the students and visitors could not be accommodated. So we have decided convert the museum into a visitors-only zone. A separate pathology section for students will be open soon,” said Manohar Prabhu, the modeler at the museum.

The Anatomy Museum boasts of all original 1000 specimens of the human body and animals. While more specimens and models are continuously added to the existing collection, some specimens date back over half a century. The current head of the department Dr. Antony Sylvan D’Souza has continued to promote the museum as a lively source of interaction.

Varieties of clear anatomical specimens can be found here such as cross-section anatomy specimens, bones, and soft tissues. The museum has many specimen categorized based on various regions of the body such as upper limb, lower limb, abdomen, pelvis, and brain. There is also a section dedicated for aborted fetuses with developmental problems such as situs inversus (organs switching sides in the body), hydrocephalus (accumulation of fluid in brain cavity) and cyclopia (one eye). The museum is supplemented with information describing some of the amazing facts about human body such the total body surface area and hairs present in human.

The man behind the wonderful specimens in the museum is Dr. S.S. Godbole, Professor of Anatomy at Kasturba Medical College, with his painstaking research, commitment and perseverance, was able to develop the finest specimens which would retain their natural colour and form. Dr. Godbole had visited several museums all over India, but was not happy with the display and the quality of the specimens. This inspired him to work towards the display of important structures by painting them.

The museum is a source of tremendous inspiration and knowledge to those who visit. It is not only open to students and staff of the University, but also to the public at large. Researches and visitors from other universities also come for their research and studies. It gives the public an insight to the real structures inside human body.

The most interesting thing about the museum is that the dead body storage tanks at the ground floor are also visible from the Anatomy Museum, although there are not open to the general public. This gives visitors an opportunity to meet the dead up-close and personal! At present there are 32 fresh bodies preserved in the museum which are studied by the M.B.B.S students. The museum authorities are eagerly looking forward to a better response from the visitors after the renovation is over.