The affinity between art and medicine is abundantly clear: The classical concept of medicine even makes reference to the art of healing: the ars medicinae. Apart from the terminological origin and the proximity of the medical profession to “art” − equally true, incidentally, for technicians and engineers − it is striking that, even today, many physicians are lovers of art, literature and music. This enthusiasm, possibly felt to a larger extent than by other professions, may explain why physicians often take up brush and pen, or play an instrument − and not merely as amateurs. Perhaps it was the closeness to the human being that created a certain kinship between physicians and artists when it came to devoting themselves with sensitivity, intuition and imagination to the art of living and the state of our world at the interface of art and medicine. Since the Early Modern Period, anatomy has often been the mediator, playing an attractive role in the theaters of science and art.

The extensive natural science and engineering collections as well as the important art collection of TU Dresden document almost 200 years of history of knowledge transfer and generation and are important testimonies to our university identity. Exhibits from the early 19th century connect the history of scientific knowledge with the research of our present and even influence future technologies when object-based evidence forms the basis for innovative research approaches.:5 Preface 7 KIRSTEN VINCENZ The collections of TUD Dresden University of Technology – tradition and new perspectives 17 KLAUS MAUERSBERGER The historical development of the collections at the TUD Dresden University of Technology 23 LUTZ GRAEFE The Collection of Astronomic-Geodetic Instruments 35 FRANK MÜLLER The Botanical Collection 47 MARINA LIENERT · CARIS-PETRA HEIDEL The Medical-Historical Collection 57 HORST HARTMANN · KIRSTEN VINCENZ The Dye Collection 69 DANIEL LORDICK The Collection of Mathematical Models 81 MANFRED F. BUCHROITHNER · WOLF GÜNTHER KOCH The Cartographic Collection 93 KLAUS MAUERSBERGER The “elektron” Collection of Communication Engineering and Precision Technology 105 RÜDIGER HOFFMANN The Historical Acoustic-Phonetic Collection 117 ECKHARD BENDIN The Color Research & Theory Collection 129 CHRISTIAN WÖLFEL · JENS KRZYWINSKI The Industrial Design Collection 139 GWENDOLIN KREMER · MARIA OBENAUS The Art Collections – living testimony of the University’s history 155 KLAUS MAUERSBERGER* The Collection “Doctors, Patients and Disease in Art” 169 JÖRG ZAUN Scientific and Art Collections – an Overview Scope · Location · Contacts 190 Literature and Sources 196 Index of Names 199 Authors 200 Publishing Details