Arriving to the United States in 1921, Dr. Vladimir Fortunato (1885–1938) was a respected and celebrated figure responsible for creating striking medical models and anatomical sculptures. Although Dr. Fortunato was well connected and worked for some of the United States’ most prestigious medical institutions, his legacy, achievements, and creations have all but vanished from the annals of American medical history. In an effort to establish a more defined profile of this obscure man’s life and lifework, this article draws on scant information provided by a range of sources, including academic journal articles, obituaries, and physician autobiography. In the present-day era of digital imaging technologies, Dr. Fortunato’s lifelike sculptures represent a bygone age of medical visualization that embraced both utility and beauty.
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438–
439.
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WilsonE.
Letter to: Dr. Vladimir Fortunato. 1924 Oct 27. 1 p. Located at: Woodrow Wilson Collection, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library, Princeton, New Jersey; Box 51/Folder 19.
HolzR.
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17.
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1939, p.
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18.
DickinsonR. Birth atlas of twenty-four sculptures on fertilization, steps of growth, stage of labor and involution. 5th ed. New York: Maternity Center Association, 1960.
Center for the History of Medicine (Countway Library, Harvard Medical School) [Internet]. Replica of Dickinson-Fortunato birth series five model, 1945–2007 [cited 2022 Mar 18]; Available from:https://collections.countway.harvard.edu/onview/items/show/14517
21.
DickinsonR. Birth atlas of twenty-four sculptures on fertilization, steps of growth, stage of labor and involution. 5th ed.
New York:
Maternity Center Association,
1960, plate 4.
22.
FortunatoV.
Medical sculptor was making models for World’s Fair. N Y Times, 1938 June 11, p.
15.
23.
Obituary - Dr. Vladimir M. Fortunato. BMJ. 1938; 1: 1398.
24.
KellyHA. Examination of bladder and catheterization of uterus/dilatation and curettage.
Troy, New York:
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1908, p.
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25.
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