In a round glass-topped case in the Trent Room, off of the History Of Medicine Reading Room in the Searle Center, more than a dozen ivory manikins are outstanding and beautiful examples of how people may have learned anatomical facts about the human body and particularly learned about what was happening during birthing. There are 18 manikins in all, ranging from five to 10 inches long, said Suzanne Porter, curator of the History of Medicine Collection. Nearly all are women, and one is even completely clothed. Three are free standing, but most recline in elegantly decorated wood or leather beds or couches, although some are attached to the lids of their boxes. The key things are inside.
Porter indicates a movable ivory plate in the chest region.
Remove that and inside the hollow body you see tiny ivory organs, delicately crafted and positioned in the correct part of the body. The tiny pieces can be removed to reveal other organs. Some mystery surrounds the manikins. They aren't signed, so nobody knows who crafted them. More importantly, there remain questions about how they were used, Porter said.