Artifacts—including original anatomical sketches by renowned medical illustrator Mary Maciel—will be on permanent display in the corridor leading to the amphitheater.

"In the early 19th century, patients were still undergoing operations in their beds in hospital wards—not in specialized rooms designed for surgery,” said Robert Bower, MD, vice chair of education in the UC Department of Surgery. "As surgeons became familiar with teaching anatomy operations on cadavers in amphitheaters, it was only a matter of time before they began teaching operating techniques on live patients in the same setting.”

Mary Oliveira Maciel (1906-1990) initially decided to pursue a career in medicine, but was convinced to become a medical artist. She studied art at the Swain School of Art, the Martinette School of Art in Baltimore, the Art Students League in New York, and the University of Cincinnati. She pursued graduate studies at Harvard Medical College and completed the medical illustration program in 1930 at John Hopkins University. In 1947, Maciel established the School of Medical Illustration in the Department of Surgery at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

Her anatomical illustrations accompanied important contributions to the surgical literature in medical journals and textbooks. When the famous cardiac surgeon Christian Barnard visited Cincinnati in 1968, he admired Maciel’s work and invited her to South Africa; nine months later, Maciel was in Cape Town illustrating his work. She also trained many fine students who went on to have successful careers. Maciel directed the school for 25 years until her retirement in 1972.