Struck by lightning: Lichtenberg figures on a 19th-century wax model

摘要

Wax models in dermatology were used to a large extent until the 1930s as three-dimensional models to illustrate various pathologic conditions and in particular cutaneous signs of disease. As an example, a young woman who was struck by lightning and developed Lichtenberg figures is presented. Lichtenberg figures are a fernlike pattern on skin, characteristic of lightning. Such a wax model housed in the German Hygiene Museum Dresden, Germany, illustrates the significance of wax models and how, even today, they can play an important role in medical education. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.