Moulages

MOULAGES (from French moulage, from molding, casting), plastic images that accurately convey the forms of objects, their natural coloration, and the structure of their surfaces, thereby producing an illusion of a living subject when well-executed. These properties distinguish Moulages from models, mock-ups, sculptural images, and other visual aids. Moulages are manufactured primarily from wax (although plaster, gelatin, and papier-mâché can also be used as casting or molding materials). Moulages are most often used for teaching dermatology and syphilidology, as well as in veterinary science and agronomy (moulages of vegetables and fruits) and in mass sanitary-educational work, especially in museum and exhibition affairs, serving as one of the most vivid and demonstrative exhibits. One of the first moulage artists was Baretta, who created the famous moulage museum at the Saint-Louis Hospital in Paris. In the USSR, SP. Fivievsky played a huge role in the development of moulage work, achieving amazing technique; he worked for many years at the clinic of skin diseases at the I Moscow Medical Institute and compiled a fine museum there. M.-T The technique of producing Moulages is relatively simple and accessible to every physician. First, the object (a patient or any food items, such as fruits, vegetables, etc.) is prepared for casting a negative. The patient is placed in a convenient pose, the skin area to be moulaged is exposed, and it is smeared with vaseline oil or some other fat. If limbs are being moulaged, a pillow is placed under them, and the corresponding skin area is surrounded with towels at the edges; cotton is placed in the interdigital spaces so that plaster does not flow into them. When moulaging the face, a breathing tube should be inserted into the mouth, and the nostrils plugged with cotton; the eyes must be closed, and the hair tied with a handkerchief. If a cast is prepared from a whole object (fruit, vegetable, etc.), the cast is made in parts, carefully fitting the individual parts together. Once the object is ready, plaster is dissolved in warm water. It is necessary to grind it well to avoid lumps and the formation of air bubbles, which spoil the negative; a liquid mass sets poorly, while a thick one sets too quickly, hindering uniform pouring. The approximate proportion is about 500 g of plaster per 1 liter of water. The quality of the plaster is important, as poor-quality plaster often spoils the Moulage. The prepared plaster mass is poured onto the surface to be moulaged, forming a layer up to 1¹/₂-2 cm thick. Plaster hardens in about 5 minutes; the metal sound obtained when tapping the plaster always indicates good plaster and the readiness of the cast. The finished cast should be removed with care to avoid breakage. The cast is cleaned, the edges are trimmed, and air bubbles are removed. To do this, the mold is immersed in cold water and held there until air bubbles cease to be released. After this, the mold is wiped dry and smeared with oil. By this time, the mass for the positive is prepared. The composition of the wax mass for casts varies. Professor Vashetko recommends 4-5 parts of white ceresin, 2 parts of stearin or paraffin, or 1 part each of the two and 0.3 gum elemi. This mass is heated, not brought to a boil, and then dye (flesh color, ochre, and carmine, for dark skin asphaltic dye) is added. Grebenshchikov recommends 9 parts of white wax, 1 part of Venetian turpentine, which is poured into the melted wax (thoroughly stirred); for flesh coloring, kraplak is added; the naturalness of the wax mass coloring is achieved through experience. For making plaster Moulages, before pouring ordinary plaster mass into the mold, the mold is smeared with a hot soap solution with the addition of purified linseed oil. Then the positive can be easily removed from the mold. For making Moulages from papier-mâché, the following mass is prepared: finely cut newspaper or wrapping paper, after soaking for several days in water, is boiled with carpenter's glue, oil, and starch until a homogeneous mass of the consistency of liquid dough is obtained. This mass is smeared on the mold, which has been previously smeared with oil. The dried mass easily separates from the mold, after which it is pasted with carpenter's glue and painted with oil paint. The prepared wax mass is poured into the mold, forming a thin layer of 1-1.5 mm, or the mold is coated with the mass using a large brush. A layer of gauze is carefully applied over this mass so that its ends protrude at the edges. The gauze is immediately covered with mass (sometimes several layers of gauze are laid). The cooled positive is usually easily removed from the mold. Some authors recommend immersing the mold in cold water, whereupon the wax positive rises to the surface in 5-10 minutes. When making Moulages of whole objects requiring split molds, one half is filled with molten wax mass, the mold is closed with the second half, after which the mold is carefully rotated until the wax hardens, distributing evenly over the walls, then it is placed in water. After removing the mold, the finished moulage is obtained. Having received the finished positive of the moulage, one proceeds to its coloring, necessarily from nature. The greatest difficulty lies in coloring ulcers and scars. The dye is applied carefully, in a thin layer, as correcting errors is very difficult. The main dyes recommended are ochre (of various shades), kraplak, white lead, etc. Shiny places are covered with varnish, shaved surfaces are pricked with a needle dipped in nigrosin, and hair is applied to the Moulage by heating it with a hot knife. The colored moulage is mounted on a board by the ends of the protruding gauze. The board is usually painted black. To avoid breaking the Moulage and give it greater realism, a resilient paper cushion is placed underneath it; the gauze is tacked with small nails, and over the edge of the Moulage strips of white fabric are laid; the lining is covered with paste mixed with plaster. It is better to make the lining after 2-3 weeks, when the moulage has dried. The moulage assembled in this way is adjusted in details of coloring, after which it can be considered finished.