title: Struck by lightning: Lichtenberg figures on a 19th-century wax model.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Allergology, Academic Teaching Hospital Dresden-Friedrichstadt, Dresden, Germany. Electronic address: wollina-uw@khdf.de.
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Wollina
authors.affiliation: Chair for Restoration, Art Technology and Conservation Sciences, Technical University Munich; German Hygiene Museum Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.affiliation: Department of ENT, Head and Neck Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Academic Teaching Hospital Dresden-Friedrichstadt, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Eckart
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Klemm
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Bavaria-Klinik, Kreischa, Germany.
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wollina
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Pain Management, Academic Teaching Hospital Dresden-Friedrichstadt, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nowak
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D015168:Lightning Injuries / Q000266:history*; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D009144:Museums / Q000266:history*; D012867:Skin / Q000293:injuries*; D014885:Waxes
chemical_list: D014885:Waxes