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What better way to honor a pioneering anatomist than by preserving his severed head like a specimen?
Italian anatomist Antonio Scarpa was known for his ruthless demeanor and masterful work in the field of biology, and to this day, the professor’s severed head is still on display in a fittingly severe tribute to the man. The Museo per la Storia dell’Università di Pavia (Museum of the Story of the University of Pavia) was founded on the 100th anniversary of Scarpa’s death and it is there that the anatomist’s head and digits have been preserved in formaldehyde. Scarpa was a known bachelor with a number of illegitimate children whom he was notorious for promoting through nepotism while at the same time treating his colleagues with a brutally ruthless attitude. In many circles, Scarpa was markedly unpopular.
