by Nicole Falconi, 06.03.2026 – 08.04.2026; 01.05.2026 – 04.06.2026
Project: Emmy Noether Gruppe (DFG): Anatomische Theater der frühen Neuzeit zwischen Kunst, Natur und Wissenschaft
Following the traces of Spain’s colonial past, as well as sources on anatomical studies conducted by physicians and surgeons in hospitals, the research led from the Iberian Peninsula to the “territorios de ultramar”, to Lima – the capital of the former Viceroyalty of Peru.
In 1791-1792, the renowned physician and anatomist Hipólito Unanue founded the anatomical theatre within the Real Hospital de San Andrés enclosure, located near the historic city centre in the Barrios Altos area. This 16th century institution, established exclusively for male Spanish patients, is considered the oldest hospital in South America and Peru, dating back to the year 1552. Moreover, the hospital is linked to the beginnings and development of medical sciences and surgical studies of the Universidad Mayor de San Marcos (UNMSM) in Peru since the Early Modern Period, particularly through the Real Colegio de Medicina de San Fernando, founded in 1811.
Research on the San Andrés hospital and the Sociedad de Beneficencia Pública de Lima, furthermore, led to a subsequently constructed anatomical theatre, built in the Hospital Dos de Mayo, inaugurated in the second half of the 19th century to replace the by then insufficient facilities of San Andrés.
