Vincenzo Mazza and the origin of veterinary museology in Napoli

Vincenzo Mazza (1793-1859) is a neglected figure in the history of Italian veterinary medicine. His collection represents the first nucleus of the future Anatomical Museum of the Neapolitan Veterinary School. After the Napoleonic wars, in which he took part as a military veterinarian, he attended the School of Milano, where he learnt to prepare the anatomical specimens from Jean Louis Leroy and Giambattista Volpi. In 1816 he graduated in Medicine and Philosophy in Pisa, where he learnt Andrea Vaccà Berlinghieri’s innovative surgical techniques and established a private veterinary school. In 1821, he was appointed Professor in Theoretical and Practical Clinic at the Veterinary School in Napoli, where he also directed the adjoining hospital. Here, he privately and independently produced his anatomical preparations for educational purposes and tried in vain to create a museum within the School modelled on the one in Milano and other major European schools. Unfortunately, after 1848, he fell victim to Borbonic political repression and was forced to leave teaching. Most of his specimens are still preserved in excellent condition in the “Museo di Anatomia Veterinaria” of the Federico II Napoli University.