A connected account of work in anatomical preparation, surgical training, and the stewardship of historical anatomical collections. This narrative is written to be factual and readable, with links to dedicated pages where appropriate.
Contents
Oscar Baldomero’s professional work began with hands-on anatomical preparation rather than clinical practice. From 1975 until April 1981, he was employed as a histology technician at the Royal College of Surgeons in London, while also dissecting specimens for the teaching collection within the Department of Anatomy at the Royal College of Surgeons. This dual role placed him at the intersection of microscopic tissue preparation and macroscopic anatomical dissection, providing a technical foundation that would later prove critical in applied surgical training. Work in histology required precise control over fixation, processing, and sectioning of tissue, with close attention to how different preparation techniques altered the mechanical and visual properties of biological material. In parallel, dissection for teaching collections demanded an understanding of three-dimensional anatomy, spatial relationships, and the pedagogical requirements of anatomical display. Together, these activities fostered a practical, material-centred understanding of anatomy—one grounded not only in structure, but in how tissue behaves when handled, cut, sutured, or preserved. During this period, Baldomero also developed an interest in the historical dimensions of anatomical preparation and teaching. Exposure to older specimens and legacy collections highlighted how methods of preservation, display, and didactic intent had evolved over time, often reflecting the technical constraints and educational priorities of their era. This awareness of historical context would later inform both his curatorial work and his approach to documenting anatomical collections. In 1980, while still working at the Royal College of Surgeons in London, Baldomero was approached and encouraged to apply for a position at the Department of Clinical Anatomy at Kantonsspital Basel. The offer came from Professor Arthur von Hochstetter, following a recommendation from Professor Martin Allgöwer, then Head of Surgery at Kantonsspital Basel. Baldomero subsequently left the Royal College of Surgeons in April 1981 and moved to Basel to take up this position. This transition marked a shift from primarily technical and preparative work toward an environment in which anatomical practice was directly integrated with surgical teaching and research. It was within the Department of Clinical Anatomy at Kantonsspital Basel, during the early 1980s, that the connections between anatomical preparation, surgical training, and model development first began to take concrete form.
Work within the Department of Clinical Anatomy at Kantonsspital Basel placed anatomical preparation in direct dialogue with surgical practice. In addition to curating and extending the anatomical teaching collection, Baldomero was involved in dissecting and documenting surgical approaches for books produced within the department. This work required close collaboration with surgeons and a detailed understanding of operative anatomy as it is encountered in practice rather than as it appears in static atlases. It was during this period, between approximately 1981 and 1984/85, that Baldomero became involved in the early development of gastrointestinal surgical training workshops in Davos. The initial impetus for these courses came from Professor Martin Allgöwer, who recognised a gap in surgical education: while orthopaedic training in Davos had already demonstrated the value of structured, hands-on courses, comparable opportunities did not exist for visceral surgery. Allgöwer believed that gastrointestinal procedures could be taught with similar rigour, provided that suitable anatomical training material could be developed. Baldomero’s background in histology and anatomical preparation proved critical in addressing this problem. The challenge was not primarily conceptual, but technical: how to prepare gastrointestinal specimens that could be handled repeatedly, sutured, and manipulated in a teaching context without rapid degradation. Drawing on experience with tissue fixation and preparation, Baldomero developed methods that resolved this constraint, making it possible to demonstrate and practise complex procedures such as intestinal anastomosis under controlled conditions. Alongside this work, Baldomero was also asked to develop an anatomically correct body-cavity model for laparoscopic training. This project extended the same underlying principle: that realistic anatomy, when combined with appropriate material properties, could support structured surgical education across different modalities. Together, these developments marked a decisive transition from anatomy as a teaching support discipline to anatomy as an active driver of surgical training methodology. By the time Professor von Hochstetter retired in 1984/85, Baldomero’s work had already moved beyond traditional anatomical preparation. With the conclusion of this period at the Department of Clinical Anatomy, he was offered a new project: the development of soft models for orthopaedic surgical training. This offer marked the beginning of a further phase in which anatomical knowledge, material science, and surgical education became increasingly integrated.
Alongside his involvement in surgical training and model development, Baldomero became increasingly engaged with the care, interpretation, and long-term stewardship of anatomical collections. This strand of work grew directly out of his earlier exposure to historical specimens during his time at the Royal College of Surgeons, where the accumulated material record of anatomical teaching had highlighted the close relationship between technique, pedagogy, and historical context. A central focus of this curatorial activity was the anatomical collection assembled by Professor Arthur von Hochstetter. Following von Hochstetter’s death, Baldomero was named explicitly in von Hochstetter’s will, which documented his intention that Baldomero should assume responsibility for the care and future disposition of the collection. This formal recognition reflected both long-standing professional collaboration and a shared commitment to preserving the educational and historical value of the material. In subsequent years, Baldomero curated and maintained substantial parts of the collection while working at Roche in Basel. During this period, he was frequently asked by Roche to give guided tours and talks to visiting groups—often composed of Roche staff—introducing them to the history, preparation, and significance of anatomical specimens. These activities positioned the collection not merely as a repository of objects, but as an active educational resource capable of conveying the historical development of anatomical knowledge and teaching practices. A key figure in this phase was Alexander Bieri, Curator of the Roche Collections and Archives. Bieri played a central role in supporting the conservation, documentation, and eventual transfer of selected specimens. He organised and funded necessary restoration work, coordinated transportation, and facilitated institutional contacts, including the involvement of the Swiss Ambassador in Riga and Professor Aigars Pētersons, Rector of Rīga Stradiņš University. These efforts culminated in the transfer of a group of historically significant specimens to Riga, where they entered a new institutional context while remaining accessible for research and teaching. The majority of the collection, however, remains at Roche. Over the course of the next two to three years, Baldomero is engaged in the process of selecting approximately one hundred specimens for donation to the Roche historical archive. He was explicitly asked to make this a personal selection and to provide written notes for each specimen, explaining why it was chosen and outlining its historical significance within anatomy or the history of anatomical preparation. This ongoing work represents a further step in transforming a lifetime of practical anatomical engagement into a documented historical legacy.
Over time, the balance of Baldomero’s work shifted from the immediate demands of preparation and training toward reflection, documentation, and historical interpretation. This transition was not abrupt, but cumulative: practical involvement in anatomical preparation, surgical education, and model development had generated a body of experience that increasingly called for consolidation and contextualisation. Writing became one means of effecting this shift. Baldomero’s publications drew directly on decades of hands-on engagement, but were framed with an explicit awareness of historical continuity. Rather than treating anatomical specimens or training models as isolated technical achievements, they were situated within longer traditions of anatomical teaching, material culture, and surgical pedagogy. This approach emphasised that methods of preparation and instruction are historically contingent, shaped by available technologies, institutional structures, and educational priorities. In parallel, Baldomero was frequently asked to give talks on the history of anatomical dissection and preparation, most often in the context of the anatomical collection at Roche. These presentations were informal, audience-focused, and grounded in the physical presence of specimens, using the collection itself as a narrative framework through which to explore the development of anatomical practice. Occasional talks were also given outside this setting, including presentations delivered remotely, such as a video-linked talk to the Rotary Club of Uppsala. The process of curating and transferring anatomical collections further reinforced this historical orientation. Decisions about conservation, selection, and institutional placement required consideration not only of material condition, but of meaning: why certain specimens mattered, what they revealed about past practices, and how they could continue to inform future research and teaching. In this sense, curatorship became an extension of earlier practical work, translating technical expertise into historical judgment. Seen in retrospect, the various strands of Baldomero’s career—histology, anatomical dissection, surgical training, model development, and collection stewardship—form a connected trajectory rather than discrete phases. Each emerged from, and fed back into, the others. The movement from practice to history thus represents not a departure from earlier work, but its rearticulation: an effort to preserve, explain, and make accessible the material and intellectual legacy of anatomical practice as it was lived and developed over several decades.
Note: Detailed documentation of specific programmes and institutions is provided on the linked pages.