CPR Annie

Marie Tussaud learnt the art of wax sculpture from a physician, Philippe Curtius (1737–1794), a Swiss doctor who was skilled at illustrating anatomy using wax models. With Tussaud’s mother working as his housekeeper, Curtius took young Marie on as his apprentice. Madame Tussauds museum provides elaborate examples of how wax and plaster casts preserve facial features of the long dead for posterity. But there is more to the death mask than family mementoes or a fascination with celebrity status. For many, a death mask gave them the kiss of life. All doctors practice CPR on dummies. The most popular mannequin is called “CPR Annie” (Resusci Anne). Annie’s face is modelled on the death mask of an anonymous Parisian girl who drowned in the River Seine in the late 19th Century. The unknown woman of the Seine (“L’Inconnue de la Seine”) was taken to the Paris morgue and, with no signs of violence, speculation ran that her death resulted from suicide. The story goes that the morgue’s pathologist had a plaster cast made of her face because her enigmatic smile was inconsistent with the usual grotesqueness of drowned victims. The anonymous death mask soon found its way into the marketplace and became a sought-after art collectable. More recently, the famous face also found its way onto the modern CPR mannequin. The real story behind this death mask remains shrouded in mystery but, for doctors, the drowned Mona Lisa is “CPR Annie”. The most kissed face of all time.

Michael Jackson attended a CPR class in the 1980s. CPR trainees are taught to say “Annie, are you OK?” when checking the responsiveness of an unconscious victim. The training doll (“CPR Annie”) inspired Michael Jackson to write his timeless classic song: “Smooth Criminal”. His lyrics describe an imaginary version of events leading to the discovery of an unresponsive victim. The catchy chorus refrains, “Annie, are you OK?”