Vessels: Infrastructures of Life

Vessels are indispensable – for plants, animals, humans, and even our cities. They transport oxygen, nutrients, hormones, and signals, while carrying away waste products. Without these structures, life would not be possible.

Interestingly, our understanding of vascular structures is relatively new compared to our knowledge of anatomy and medicine: Galen of Pergamon, a Greek anatomist and the most important physician of antiquity, wrote almost 200 works that served as the basis for medical teaching until the 17th century and beyond. In his opinion, blood flowed continuously from the liver – like water from a fountain – through the veins to the periphery, nourishing all kinds of tissue. In 1628 – almost 1400 years later – English physician William Harvey published the »Exercitatio anatomica de motu cordis et sanguinis in animalibus« describing blood circulation. However, as he did not yet have a microscope, he did not know exactly how the blood traveled from the arteries to the veins. He assumed that there were ›anastomoses‹ or ›porosities in the flesh‹. The Italian anatomist Marcello Malpighi closed this gap when he discovered the capillaries in the mesentery of the frog under the microscope in 1661. This was a groundbreaking moment for medicine and physiology because it fully explained the circulatory system of vessels for the first time.

The special exhibition »Gefäße – Infrastrukturen des Lebens« (Vessels – Infrastructures of Life) shows how these vessels function and how they can be visualized, used and reproduced. From exhibits on transplantation and regenerative medicine to examples of architecture and design, the exhibition offers exciting insights into these often hidden structures. Surgical procedures in general and transplant surgery, in particular, are inconceivable without the consideration of macro- and microscopic vessels. Vascular structures also play a central role in the field of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. The exhibits correspond with those in Virchow’s collection of specimens. A particular focus lies on the connections between natural vessels and human-made networks, such as the regulation of temperature in buildings or the water and wastewater supply in cities.

Discover how vessels shape life in all its forms!

More information on the Berlin Museum of Medical History at the Charité can be found here: https://bmm-charite.de/

Credits

»Vessels: Infrastructures of Life« is a collaboration of the Berlin Museum of Medical History at the Charité with the Cluster of Excellence »Matters of Activity« at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin as part of the ＿matter Festival 2025.

As a public museum of the Charité, the Berlin Museum of Medical History at the Charité provides visitors with fascinating insights into the development of medicine over the last 300 years. The permanent exhibition contains a large number of medical instruments, specimens, moulages and models of the human body. The centerpiece of the museum is the so-called specimen room with 750 pathological-anatomical wet and dry specimens, which can be traced back to the passion for collecting of the famous pathologist Rudolf Virchow.

Team Credits

Curation: Igor Sauer & Navena Widulin
Coordination: Sophia Gräfe
Production and Design: Julia Blumenthal
Contributors: Assal Daneshgar, Emile De Visscher, Frédéric Eyl, Eriselda Keshi, Moritz Queisner, Iva Rešetar and Igor Sauer

Dates

Vernissage: Wed, 4 June 2025, 7:00–10:00 pm
Exhibition: 5 June–12 October 2025
Opening Hours:
Tue, Thu, Fri, Sun: 10:00 am–5:00 pm
Wed, Sat: 10:00 am–7:00 pm
Mon: Closed

Public Program

28 June 2025, 7:00–8:00 pm
Lecture Hall Ruin
Vessels. Infrastructures of Life – Presentation as Part of the Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften 2025 (language: German)

13 August 2025, 5:00–6:00 pm
Curatorial Tours with Igor Sauer and Navena Widulin

Lecture Program and Guided Tours: Details tbc