[Last modified: March, 20 2019 08:50 PM]
Wax model of a female Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus
| Collection & ID number | Grant Museum of Zoology, F26 |
| Maker | Rudolf Weisker |
| Date | circa 1850s |
| Dimension | 20cm in length, 5cm in width |
In the 1800s, wax models were commonly used for teaching at universities, and as references for drawing diagrams in scientific papers. This model depicts a parasite that is commonly known as a ‘thorny-headed worm’. It infects pigs by burrowing its sucking organ, covered in small hooks, into the soft inner walls of the pig’s intestine. Parasites always force their hosts to sacrifice their health, so that the parasite can sustain its life.
The model was made in Leipzig, Germany by Rudolf Weisker. He worked with a professor of zoology at the University of Leipzig, Rudolf Leuckart, to produce many wax models based on Leuckart’s research. Professor Leuckart was one of the first people to study parasites in depth, and he used these wax models to prove his theories about the life cycles of parasites.
What is the history of wax models?
Wax models were popular as tools for teaching from the 19th to 20th centuries. Wax is a material that is easily shaped, quite sturdy and light, so it is easily moulded into different shapes and transported. The maker of the wax models worked together with the researcher to make an original that the researcher approved of. The original is then casted to make a mould. Then the mould can be re-used to make multiple wax models.
Rudolf Weisker’s wax models were sent to different universities and researchers to help them understand Leuckart’s new research on parasites. At that time, people began to understand the benefits of learning with visual aids and physical objects, so these models were in high demand.
What does a Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus look like in real life?
The wax model exaggerates the ‘thorny head’ (probiscis) – in real life they are not so large. A male worm can grow up to 10cm in length, but a female one can grow to 40 cm!
Image courtesy of Wikimedia
Tell me more about the biology of Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus!
This is a labelled diagram based on the wax model. The worm uses the thorny proboscis, which is covered in hooks, to attach to the inner intestinal walls. Parasites often have simple biological structures, because they depend on the host for bodily functions like digesting food or breathing. We can see that most of the organs in this female model are used for reproduction. The eggs (ova) are spread around the body. Almost one-fifth of this model depicts the worm’s uterus.
However, keep in mind that the model is not to scale. It is condensed to show the most important structures of the worm.
Click on the buttons to discover how the object relates to the theme of << sacrifice >>
“It is not possible for man, as a thinking being, to close his mind to the knowledge that he is ruled by the same power as is the animal world. Like the despised worm he lives in dependence upon external commands, and like the worm he perishes, even when he has shaken the world through the power of his ideas.”