- Mulage of the palm of a patient with epidermophytia and hyperkeratosis. Made by Artūrs Burnieks. Riga. Mid 20th century. Wax, plaster, wood, cotton wool, metal, fabric, paper. 23.5 x 33.5 x 11 cm. PSMHM collection: MVM 55002 LA 20271. Photo: Didzis GrodzsThe mulage was most likely made at the request of University of Latvia professor dermatovenerologist Pēteras Sniķeras (1875-1944) and was available to the students of the Faculty of Medicine as an accurate means of viewing the disease. It reproduces one of the most common fungal infectious diseases in Latvia - epidermophitia. Round, demarcated spots on the surface of the skin and a thickened stratum corneum, or hyperkeratosis, are signs of the disease. Epidermophytia can be infected directly from the patient's skin scales and hair, as well as indirectly - with spores on household items.
- A mulage of the face of a leper patient. Made by Stanislavs Kreits. Riga. 1947. Wax, plaster, wood, cotton wool, metal, fabric, hair. 27 x 36 x 11 cm. PSMHM collection: MVM 54998 LA 20267. Photo: Didzis GrodzsMulage represents a characteristic feature of leprosy - a thickening of the skin of the face, which forms a bumpy "lion's face". Leprosy is one of the oldest infectious diseases in the world. It deforms the skin, nerves and can cause disability if left untreated. Although, like other infectious diseases, leprosy is spread by airborne droplets, the disease does not begin until several months or even years later. The World Health Organization states that today only 5% of contacts contract the disease, as most people have natural immunity to the disease.
- Mulage is thought to reproduce one of the signs of leprosy – red rashes. Historically, leprosy was confused with other diseases such as syphilis and psoriasis. In 1873, the Norwegian doctor Gerhard Hansen (1841-1912) discovered the mycobacterium that causes leprosy. Only in 1941 was the first medicine available - "Promin", which treated it. For centuries, leprosy patients were separated from society by placing them in leprosariums. To reduce the stigma caused by the diagnosis, the World Health Organization recommended renaming leprosy to Hansen's disease, in honor of the discoverer of the cause of the disease.Mulage reproduces long-term, non-infectious skin diseases - eczema, symptoms. The most common signs of eczema are redness, swelling, wetting and itching. Skin dryness, peeling and scabs develop in places of friction. Unfortunately, the cause of the disease is still not discovered, but its development is often associated with a number of different reasons - stress, allergies, immunity and hormonal effects. In the treatment of eczema, both traditional and non-traditional medicine are used - for example, acupuncture and meditation.
- Mulage of the leprosy patient's breast. Manufacturer and place of manufacture unknown. 40s-60s of the 20th century. Wax, plaster, wood, cotton wool, metal, fabric, paper. 32 x 42 x 14 cm. PSMHM collection: MVM 54951 LA 20220. Photo: Māris ŠteinbergsMulage is thought to reproduce one of the signs of leprosy – red rashes. Historically, leprosy was confused with other diseases such as syphilis and psoriasis. In 1873, the Norwegian doctor Gerhard Hansen discovered the mycobacterium that causes the disease. From 1941, the drug "Promin" was available, which treated leprosy. Although, like other infectious diseases, leprosy is spread by airborne droplets, the illness begins only after several months and even years. The World Health Organization states that only 5% of contacts because most people have natural immunity to the disease.
- Mulage of the palm of a psoriasis patient. Manufacturer and place of manufacture unknown. 40s-60s of the 20th century. Wax, plaster, wood, cotton wool, metal, fabric, paper. 19 x 24.5 x 10 cm. PSMHM collection: MVM 54955 LA 20224. Photo: Māris ŠteinbergsPsoriasis is one of the most common hereditary skin diseases, affecting up to 3% of the world's population. A reaction of the patient's immune system that speeds up the division of skin cells and forms a rash that scales and becomes inflamed. Psoriasis symptoms were initially mistaken for signs of the infectious disease leprosy. Ringworm was identified as a separate disease in one of the first classifications of skin diseases in 1808, created by the English physician Robert Willan (1757-1812). Psoriasis is still not completely cured and tends to be inherited in subsequent generations.
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Leprosarium Collection (models)
Medical models are principally used to demonstrate to medical students the characteristic manifestations of dermatological, venereal and tumorous disorders, along with other diseases such as leprosy. The museum allows anybody to examine these materials, some of them up to a century old.
This model collection is one of the most prominent in the entire Eastern European region. Some of these models were produced in small shops, others industrially, from 1922 till the 1970s, focusing particularly on accurate representations of leprosy and dermatological diseases.
Mulage of the palm of a patient with epidermophytia and hyperkeratosis. Made by Artūrs Burnieks. Riga. Mid 20th century. Wax, plaster, wood, cotton wool, metal, fabric, paper. 23.5 x 33.5 x 11 cm. PSMHM collection: MVM 55002 LA 20271. Photo: Didzis Grodzs
A mulage of the face of a leper patient. Made by Stanislavs Kreits. Riga. 1947. Wax, plaster, wood, cotton wool, metal, fabric, hair. 27 x 36 x 11 cm. PSMHM collection: MVM 54998 LA 20267. Photo: Didzis Grodzs
Mulage is thought to reproduce one of the signs of leprosy – red rashes. Historically, leprosy was confused with other diseases such as syphilis and psoriasis. In 1873, the Norwegian doctor Gerhard Hansen (1841-1912) discovered the mycobacterium that causes leprosy. Only in 1941 was the first medicine available - "Promin", which treated it. For centuries, leprosy patients were separated from society by placing them in leprosariums. To reduce the stigma caused by the diagnosis, the World Health Organization recommended renaming leprosy to Hansen's disease, in honor of the discoverer of the cause of the disease.