Following is a guest post by Artist and Anatomist in Residence Emily Evans about flayed Saint Bartholomew and his curious afterlife in early anatomical illustration. You can find out more about Emily and her work here. Tradition holds that the apostle Bartholomew was martyred by being flayed alive. This brutal torture has been depicted in many different ways over the centuries. He is sometimes depicted holding the knife, which symbolizes his martyrdom. The artworks seem to evolve over time from showing him just before the blade strikes, to when flaying occurs and then in later works after the act, where he is draped in, or holding his own skin. It can be difficult to view these artworks reflecting the act of being skinned alive without squirming thinking of the pain and blood. This is especially so in the early religious paintings of the saint. Fine artists took the iconic portrayal of St. Bartholomew to use in their work. One of the most famous being Michelangelo who included Bartholomew holding a sheet of his own skin in his left hand and in his right hand is a knife in his famous Last judgment, in the Sistine chapel, The Vatican, Rome. The face on the skin is reputed to be a self-portrait of the artist. For the anatomists among us, it’s possible to see past the grotesque barbaric act of flaying to reveal the beauty of the musculature beneath. Medical illustrators took this concept and depicted a flayed anatomical man in a more anatomical context than religious one in the famous 16th century anatomical publications. In 1543, Andreas Vesalius published De humani corporis fabrica (On the fabric of the human body). This groundbreaking anatomical tome consisted of engravings which many believe were created by Titian's pupil Jan Stephen van Calcar. In 1560, Juan Valverde de Amusco published Historia de la composicion del cuerpo humano of which all but 4 of its 42 engravings were taken almost directly from Vesalius’s Fabrica. The original illustrations are thought to be drawn by Gaspar Becerra who was a contemporary of Michelangelo, and the copperplate engravings executed by Nicolas Beatrizet. This movement from the religious to the more artistic and anatomical depictions of Bartholomew continued with the sculpture by Marco D’Agrate who was a pupil of Leonardo da Vinci. It begins to become clear how d’Agrate was interested more in the relationship between art and science than in the one between art and religion. The American writer Mark Twain certainly did not see this beauty when he saw Marco d’Agrate’s statue of St. Bartholomew in Milan where the saint is shown wearing his skin like a stole. He wrote in 1867: ‘The figure was that of a man without a skin; with every vein, artery, muscle, every fiber and tendon and tissue of the human frame represented in minute detail. It looked natural, because somehow it looked as if it were in pain. A skinned man would be likely to look that way unless his attention was occupied with some other matter. ‘It was a hideous thing, and yet there was a fascination about it somehow. I am very sorry I saw it, because I shall always see it now. I shall dream of it sometimes. I shall dream that it is resting its corded arms on the bed’s head and looking down on me with its dead eyes; I shall dream that it is stretched between the sheets with me and touching me with its exposed muscles and its stringy cold legs. It is hard to forget repulsive things’ In 2002, Gunther Von Hagen’s Bodyworlds came to London, and I saw ‘The Skin Man’ for the first time. Hagen’s plastination process enabled the first and only depiction of Bartholomew in actual human tissues. Not long after, I saw Hirst’s ‘Exsquisite Pain’ at Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition 2009. This silver edition of the piece stands Bartholomew on a table covered in tools with a scalpel in one hand to reflect dissection traditions and in the other hand he is holding scissors (said to be inspired by Tim Burton’s film ‘Edward Scissorhands’ of 1990). You can currently see an edition in gold at Great St Bartholomew church, London for the next few years. Oddly, St. Bartholomew is also the patron saint of tanners! Images top to bottom: Fig.1. Saint Bartholomew, Church of San Laureano, Boyacá, Colombia (year not known) Fig.2. Martyrdom of St. Bartholomew, (1355-1360) Prato, Museo di Palazzo Fig.3. The Apostle St Bartholomew, (1480) Matteo di Giovanni Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest Hungary. Fig.4. St. Bartholomew displaying his flayed skin in Michelangelo's The Last Judgment. (1536-1541) Fig.5. Juan Valverde de Amusco's Historia de la composicion del cuerpo humano (Rome, 1560) Fig.6. Statue of St. Bartholomew, with his own skin, by Marco d'Agrate, 1562 (Duomo di Milano) Fig.7. Statue of St. Bartholomew at the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran by Pierre Le Gros the Younger. (1666-1719) Fig.8. The Skin Man, Gunther von Hagens, Institute for Plastination, Heidelberg, Germany, (1993) Fig.9. Damien Hirst, Saint Bartholomew, Exquisite Pain, 2007, Silver

Art.com | We Are Art We exist so you can have the art you love. Art.com gives you easy access to incredible art images and top-notch craftsmanship. High-Quality Framed Art Prints Our high-end framed wall art is printed on premium paper using non-toxic, archival inks that protect against UV light to resist fading. Experience unmatched quality and style as you choose from a wide range of designs to enhance your room décor. Professionally Crafted Framed Wall Art Attention to detail is at the heart of our process, as we exclusively use 100% solid wood frames that include 4-ply white core matboard and durable, frame-grade clear acrylic for clarity, long-lasting protection of the artwork and unrivaled quality. With a thoughtfully selected frame and mat combination, this piece is designed to complement your art and create a visually appealing display. Easy-to-Hang & Ready-to-Display Artwork Each framed art piece comes with hanging hardware affixed to the back of the frame, allowing for easy and convenient installation. Ready to display right out of the box. Handcrafted in the USA. Animal Art Keep your furry and feathery friends close, whether they are a galloping stallion or a dog taking a selfie. Our gallery is here to turn empty walls into a cute and quirky display of animal art. Psst! Did you know chimpanzees, elephants, and dolphins are some of the most intelligent mammals out there? Scenic Art Why settle for blank walls, when you can transform them into stunning vista points. Explore from imaginative scenic abstracts to sublime beach landscapes captured on camera. The possibilities are endless. The painterly quality of our canvas creates an almost life-like panorama, so you can enjoy your favorite scenery without leaving home. Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night is one of the most renowned scenic masterpieces. Other famous landscape artists and photographers include Georgia O'Keeffe, Ansel Adams, and Claude Monet. The Print This photographic print leverages sophisticated digital technology to capture a level of detail that is absolutely stunning. The colors are vivid and pure. The high-quality archival paper, a favorite choice among professional photographers, has a refined luster quality. Paper Type: Photographic Print Finished Size: 8" x 12" Arrives by Thu, May 30 Product ID: 53750993840A

Art.com | We Are Art We exist so you can have the art you love. Art.com gives you easy access to incredible art images and top-notch craftsmanship. High-Quality Framed Art Prints Our high-end framed wall art is printed on premium paper using non-toxic, archival inks that protect against UV light to resist fading. Experience unmatched quality and style as you choose from a wide range of designs to enhance your room décor. Professionally Crafted Framed Wall Art Attention to detail is at the heart of our process, as we exclusively use 100% solid wood frames that include 4-ply white core matboard and durable, frame-grade clear acrylic for clarity, long-lasting protection of the artwork and unrivaled quality. With a thoughtfully selected frame and mat combination, this piece is designed to complement your art and create a visually appealing display. Easy-to-Hang & Ready-to-Display Artwork Each framed art piece comes with hanging hardware affixed to the back of the frame, allowing for easy and convenient installation. Ready to display right out of the box. Handcrafted in the USA. Neck anatomy, 19th Century artwork. Historical hand coloured lithographic print showing the blood vessels (red and blue), lymph vessels (white threads), lymph nodes (white, bulbous) and muscle structure (brown) of the human neck and upper chest. Image from Traite complet de lanatomie de lhomme, comprenant la medecine operatoire Vol. 4 (1836), by JeanBaptiste Marc Bourgery and illustrated by NicolasHenri Jacob. Figurative Art Think reality delights? You bet your walls do too. So, why not introduce them to our collection of figurative art. Make acquaintance with inspiring muses of famous masters or get a glimpse of pop culture icons caught on camera. Any masterpieces you choose will give your space a unique story to share in our handcrafted frames. This genre of art involves a realistic depiction of living as well as inanimate objects. Artists like Jean Michel Basquiat, Norman Rockwell, and Banksy are renowned for giving a platform to cultural commentary and human experiences through their art. Travel Art Art is the best way of seeing the world when travel isn’t possible. Explore our curation of travel art for a trip around the globe. See from tourist favorites landmarks–the Eiffel tower– to hidden gems like the breathtaking landscapes of Yosemite National Park. Whether you find a cozy reminder of home, your dream destinations, or even cool maps of the world, our handcrafted frames will give it the perfect finishing touch. The Print This photographic print leverages sophisticated digital technology to capture a level of detail that is absolutely stunning. The colors are vivid and pure. The high-quality archival paper, a favorite choice among professional photographers, has a refined luster quality. Paper Type: Photographic Print Finished Size: 18" x 24" Arrives by Sat, May 18 Product ID: 22107369613A

We at Morbid Anatomy are beyond delighted to be offering "The Body Anatomized," a new hybrid studio art and art history class with Jonathon Rosen of the School of Visual Art. Over eight sessions, our instructor Jonathon Rosen will present illustrated lectures covering the rich and storied history of anatomical visualization, covering everything from Catholic relics to the "flayed angels" of Jacques Fabien Gautier d'Agoty (top image); Italian wax Anatomical Venuses to the diagrammatic illustrations of Christian Wilhelm Braune (middle image); Clive Barker’s Faust to the man machine of Fritz Kahn (bottom image). Under Jonathon's ongoing critical feedback and guidance, students will generate finished artworks in the medium of their choice incorporating medicine or anatomy as a point of departure, be it personal or political, didactic or obscure. The course runs over 8 Mondays from June 2nd to July 21st. The class is limited to only 20 people. Full details follow, and tickets can be purchased here. Hope very much to see you there! The Body Anatomized: Art Studio and History Class with SVA's Jonathon Rosen Dates: Mondays June 2 to July 21 (8 sessions) Admission: $300 (Must purchase ticket here) Time: 7-10pm Class limited to 20 people Morbid Anatomy Museum (New Space) , 424A 3rd Avenue (Corner of 7th Street and 3rd Avenue) This class is part of The Morbid Anatomy Art Academy Temple of the soul or soft machine? The body is where human art, science, culture, politics and medicine all intersect. This hybrid lecture/studio course takes inspiration from artists ancient to post-modern who use medicine and anatomy as a point of departure for personal, political, religious or scientific commentary. Over eight sessions, Jonathon Rosen will explore the influence of traditional medical imagery on contemporary art-making and pop culture through the lens of history, culture and aesthetics. Examples will range from medieval doctor’s sketchbooks and illuminated manuscripts, via Renaissance medical surrealism and 19th century medical devices, to contemporary works by Damien Hirst, John Isaacs, the virtual human project, BodyWorlds, and beyond. On the way we will also touch on aesthetic surgery, genetics, biomechanics, medical museums, anatomy in movies and French underground comics. With Jonathon's ongoing critical feedback and guidance, students will generate finished artworks incorporating medicine or anatomy as a point of departure, be it personal or political, didactic or obscure. This work can be singular or narrative, 2D, 3D, static or moving, in any medium, and projects are not required to be anatomically correct (and please note: Jonathon will not be giving how-to instruction in traditional medical illustration). There will also be an ongoing in-class assignment, based around anatomizing pre-existing vintage images. SYLLABUS Class 1: Coming Attractions. A visual overview of the course as an introduction to the history of medical-art & imagery including an introduction to your instructor’s work. Discussion of class, homework and assignments. Class 2: Sacred Anatomy and Materia Medica. The invention of scientific illustration: The earliest printed medical textbooks and the pioneers of human dissection. From early Islamic to late medieval European. Barbers, surgeons and wound men, demons, miraculous limb transplants, hybrid monsters and diagnosis by zodiac. Class 3: The emergence of modernity and the culture of dissection in Renaissance culture. Vesalius, Leonardo Da Vinci, Realdo Colombo, Charles Estienne, Jacopo Berengario da Carpi. Class 4: Medical Chic: Baroque to Enlightenment era. The Anatomy Theater, Albinus. The Altlas of Jean Baptiste Marc Bourgery. Hogarth and satires of medicine. Spotlight on Jacques Fabien Gautier d'Agoty. Class 5: 19th century; Optical devices, x-rays, prosthetics, automatons, pop-up books & anatomical manikins. Medical Museums, Mutter, Vrolik, La Specola & wax figuration. Etienne-Jules Marey and motion capture. Class 6: 20th century; Medical Industrial Complex: Fritz Khan and mechanical/ metaphorical bodies. Vintage Educational anatomy & health films: How the eyes and ears work. Illustrations by Netter. Vintage Chinese medical posters. Class 7: Fantastic Voyage: Clive Barker’s Faust, Stan Brakhage’s the act of seeing with one’s own eyes. Body Worlds. New imaging: virtual cadavers, prosthetics, braces, body scanning, genetics, medical animation. Growing body parts and sensor-driven prosthetics. New Artists including; Marseille collective Le Dernier Cri’s Hopital Brut, Damien Hurst, John Isaacs. Class 8
: Final project due / critique. Jonathon Rosen is a NY-based artist and animator who teaches at the School of Visual Arts. He has worked with Jean Michel Basquiat and Tim Burton (the journal drawings, Sleepy Hollow), and made artwork for ID Magazine, Popular Science, Oxford Review, New Scientist, Psychology Today, Discover Magazine, RCA Records, Rolling Stone, MTV, the New York Times Science Times and Sunday Magazine, and many more. His work has been shown at PS.1, and is in the collections of David Cronenberg and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Images: Gautier D'Agoty; Anatomy of a Woman's Spine via here. Christian Wilhelm Braune, via Ars Anatomica. Fritz Kahn via here.

2021 Skeleton Collection Number 1. Ten different Skeleton images taken from old anatomy texts. Practically a skeleton for every occasion, certainly one for every day of the week and more. These images are taken from old anatomy texts ranging from the 1600's-1900's. The images are scanned either by us or by an archive sight. We clean them up digitally and present them to you! The cards are printed on warm white 80 lb. cover stock and come in three sizes- 3.5" x 4.5" when folded, 4.5" x 5.5" when folded, and 5" x 7" when folded. You can ad a custom message, use one of ours, or leave them blank. Each design is available in single cards. They make great invites. Now available in Postcards printed on 4" x 6" 100 lb. warm white cover stock. Postcards do not come with envelopes.

JF Ptak Science Books Post 1477 [In case there are younger readers here, this is a notice that some may consider the following images disturbing.] In the antiquarian world of anatomy books dissection and presentation take place on many different...

Art.com | We Are Art We exist so you can have the art you love. Art.com gives you easy access to incredible art images and top-notch craftsmanship. High-Quality Framed Art Prints Our high-end framed wall art is printed on premium paper using non-toxic, archival inks that protect against UV light to resist fading. Experience unmatched quality and style as you choose from a wide range of designs to enhance your room décor. Professionally Crafted Framed Wall Art Attention to detail is at the heart of our process, as we exclusively use 100% solid wood frames that include 4-ply white core matboard and durable, frame-grade clear acrylic for clarity, long-lasting protection of the artwork and unrivaled quality. With a thoughtfully selected frame and mat combination, this piece is designed to complement your art and create a visually appealing display. Easy-to-Hang & Ready-to-Display Artwork Each framed art piece comes with hanging hardware affixed to the back of the frame, allowing for easy and convenient installation. Ready to display right out of the box. Handcrafted in the USA. Cultural Art Never lose touch with your roots or embrace a new culture with world art. Our collection will bring you closer to traditions, cultural, and even historical moments worldwide. Explore bohemian, Scandinavian, to tropical art without leaving your couch. Norman Rockwell, Monica Stewart, Frida Kahlo, Jean -Michel Basquiat are renowned for capturing culture with their art. Elevate your living space with our world culture masterpieces customized in our professionally hand-stretched canvas. Figurative Art Think reality delights? You bet your walls do too. So, why not introduce them to our collection of figurative art. Make acquaintance with inspiring muses of famous masters or get a glimpse of pop culture icons caught on camera. Any masterpieces you choose will give your space a unique story to share in our handcrafted frames. This genre of art involves a realistic depiction of living as well as inanimate objects. Artists like Jean Michel Basquiat, Norman Rockwell, and Banksy are renowned for giving a platform to cultural commentary and human experiences through their art. The Print This photographic print leverages sophisticated digital technology to capture a level of detail that is absolutely stunning. The colors are vivid and pure. The high-quality archival paper, a favorite choice among professional photographers, has a refined luster quality. Paper Type: Photographic Print Finished Size: 8" x 12" Arrives by Thu, May 30 Product ID: 55383737900A

First published under the title 'Anatomy of the humane body' in London in 1713

Gruesome yet exquisite, these drawings of the living – and the dead – hark back to a time when the cutting edge of medicine was, frankly, terrifying

Art.com | We Are Art We exist so you can have the art you love. Art.com gives you easy access to incredible art images and top-notch craftsmanship. High-Quality Framed Art Prints Our high-end framed wall art is printed on premium paper using non-toxic, archival inks that protect against UV light to resist fading. Experience unmatched quality and style as you choose from a wide range of designs to enhance your room décor. Professionally Crafted Framed Wall Art Attention to detail is at the heart of our process, as we exclusively use 100% solid wood frames that include 4-ply white core matboard and durable, frame-grade clear acrylic for clarity, long-lasting protection of the artwork and unrivaled quality. With a thoughtfully selected frame and mat combination, this piece is designed to complement your art and create a visually appealing display. Easy-to-Hang & Ready-to-Display Artwork Each framed art piece comes with hanging hardware affixed to the back of the frame, allowing for easy and convenient installation. Ready to display right out of the box. Handcrafted in the USA. Respiratory anatomy, 19th Century artwork. Historical hand coloured lithographic print showing the trachea (wind pipe, vertical) running down from the larynx (voicebox, top centre) and branching (centre) into the two bronchi. These then branch further into numerous bronchioles inside each lung (left and right). Image from Traite complet de lanatomie de lhomme, comprenant la medecine operatoire Vol. 4 (1836), by JeanBaptiste Marc Bourgery and illustrated by NicolasHenri Jacob. Figurative Art Think reality delights? You bet your walls do too. So, why not introduce them to our collection of figurative art. Make acquaintance with inspiring muses of famous masters or get a glimpse of pop culture icons caught on camera. Any masterpieces you choose will give your space a unique story to share in our handcrafted frames. This genre of art involves a realistic depiction of living as well as inanimate objects. Artists like Jean Michel Basquiat, Norman Rockwell, and Banksy are renowned for giving a platform to cultural commentary and human experiences through their art. Travel Art Art is the best way of seeing the world when travel isn’t possible. Explore our curation of travel art for a trip around the globe. See from tourist favorites landmarks–the Eiffel tower– to hidden gems like the breathtaking landscapes of Yosemite National Park. Whether you find a cozy reminder of home, your dream destinations, or even cool maps of the world, our handcrafted frames will give it the perfect finishing touch. The Print This photographic print leverages sophisticated digital technology to capture a level of detail that is absolutely stunning. The colors are vivid and pure. The high-quality archival paper, a favorite choice among professional photographers, has a refined luster quality. Paper Type: Photographic Print Finished Size: 18" x 24" Arrives by Wed, May 15 Product ID: 22107368561A

Chazal, Antoine Toussaint de, 1793-1854 Jacob, Nicolas Henri, 1781-1871 Kaltenhofer, Joel Paul, d. 1777 Lairesse, Gérard de, 1640-1711 C...

This listing comprises digital facsimiles of eight rare antique anatomy books. The books were written in Latin, Italian, French and English. The listing includes 3000 pages with many amazing plates in JPEG format at very high resolution. The average size of image is 2300 x 3400 pixels. List of Books De humani corporis fabrica libri septem (1543) by Andreas Vesalius Anatomia del corpo humano (1559) by Juan Valverde de Amusco De conceptu et generatione hominis (1580) by Jacob Rueff De humani corporis fabrica libri decem (1632) by Adriani Spigelii Corporis humani disquisitio anatomica (1651) by Nathaniel Highmore Tabulae Anatomicae (1722) by Bartholomeo Eustachi Essai d'Anatomie (1745) by Gautier D'Agoty The anatomy of the human body (1792) by William Cheselden This is a digital product. No physical image will be mailed. After payment is received the digital files will be available for download. The files can be downloaded via a TXT file with link to Google Drive. We have all rights of the works. As a buyer you agree not to resell the books as they are.

This is a place where the wild, the weird, and the wonderful combine. Where the beautifully obscene and the medical macabre mix. Open the door, and see what you find!

A historical overview of anatomical drawing

The incomparable Michael Sappol--author of A Traffic of Dead Bodies, curator of Dream Anatomy, and historian at the National Library of Medicine--recently traveled to Sweden where he encountered the curious 15th century illuminated vellum scroll seen above. In the following post, Mike tells us more about this scroll, and its idiosyncratic anatomical visualizations: I recently traveled to sunny Sweden to participate in an international conference on “The History of Medicine in Practice.” Along the way I got to visit some historical medical collections, talk to historians, curators, archivists, rare book specialists, publishers and librarians, and see amazing objects. Today’s post is about one amazing object: De Arte Phisicali et de Cirurgica (The Art of the Physician and the Surgeon), a long vellum scroll — 542 cm (17 feet 9 inches) by 36 cm (1 foot 2 inches)! It dates from the year 1412 and resides today in the National Library of Sweden (in Swedish, Kungliga Biblioteket, “The Royal Library,” but since Swedes hold their egalitarian ideals very dear, usually translated as “The National Library”). The manuscript is composed of six skins of vellum (that’s calf-skin!) sewn together. It features numerous painted color illustrations, along with a text written by John Arderne (1307-ca. 1390), a master surgeon who lived in Newark in the county of Nottingham, England. How it got to Sweden is a bit of a mystery, but experts believe that it traveled over the North Sea sometime in the 1420s, sent by King Henry IV of England to help his daughter, Princess Philippa. She had been married off to King Erik of Sweden in 1406 at the tender age of 12 (and died in 1430 at age 34 of a miscarriage). The text (in Latin) contains standard medical wisdom of its time: advice on diagnosis and how to treat various conditions in the form of a discussion of cases, along with helpful recipes. (A knowledge of astrology helps with all of this.) The scroll is also supplied with a large number of good-natured, even comical, illustrations. Mostly they show the usual diseases and problems (dysentery, dropsy, colic, pleurisy, belching, insomnia, bellyache) and the usual therapeutic methods (bleeding, cautery, purging and plastering). There are also pictures of surgical instruments, poisonous animals (watch out for toads!) and typical problems of delivering a baby. What has attracted the most attention from scholars, and even the public, are the scroll’s painted illustrations of the anatomized body, split open like a book or a butchered animal. These occupy the middle of the scroll, between the two main columns of text (which makes no comment on them), and are very rare for the period, really quite astonishing. I know all this because of a fine book recently published on the Arderne scroll by Fri Tanke Förlag (Free Thought Press) and the Hagströmer Library, as part of their bibliographic publication series: John Arderne, De Arte Phisicali et de Cirurgia, trans., commentary, Torgny Svenberg and Peter Murray Jones; afterword, Eva LQ Sandgren (Stockholm: Fri Tanke Förlag – Hagströmer Biblioteket, 2014). Michael Sappol History of Medicine Division National Library of Medicine All images from De Arte Phisicali et de Cirurgica (The Art of the Physician and the Surgeon), courtesy of the National Library of Sweden

The incomparable Michael Sappol--author of A Traffic of Dead Bodies, curator of Dream Anatomy, and historian at the National Library of Medicine--recently traveled to Sweden where he encountered the curious 15th century illuminated vellum scroll seen above. In the following post, Mike tells us more about this scroll, and its idiosyncratic anatomical visualizations: I recently traveled to sunny Sweden to participate in an international conference on “The History of Medicine in Practice.” Along the way I got to visit some historical medical collections, talk to historians, curators, archivists, rare book specialists, publishers and librarians, and see amazing objects. Today’s post is about one amazing object: De Arte Phisicali et de Cirurgica (The Art of the Physician and the Surgeon), a long vellum scroll — 542 cm (17 feet 9 inches) by 36 cm (1 foot 2 inches)! It dates from the year 1412 and resides today in the National Library of Sweden (in Swedish, Kungliga Biblioteket, “The Royal Library,” but since Swedes hold their egalitarian ideals very dear, usually translated as “The National Library”). The manuscript is composed of six skins of vellum (that’s calf-skin!) sewn together. It features numerous painted color illustrations, along with a text written by John Arderne (1307-ca. 1390), a master surgeon who lived in Newark in the county of Nottingham, England. How it got to Sweden is a bit of a mystery, but experts believe that it traveled over the North Sea sometime in the 1420s, sent by King Henry IV of England to help his daughter, Princess Philippa. She had been married off to King Erik of Sweden in 1406 at the tender age of 12 (and died in 1430 at age 34 of a miscarriage). The text (in Latin) contains standard medical wisdom of its time: advice on diagnosis and how to treat various conditions in the form of a discussion of cases, along with helpful recipes. (A knowledge of astrology helps with all of this.) The scroll is also supplied with a large number of good-natured, even comical, illustrations. Mostly they show the usual diseases and problems (dysentery, dropsy, colic, pleurisy, belching, insomnia, bellyache) and the usual therapeutic methods (bleeding, cautery, purging and plastering). There are also pictures of surgical instruments, poisonous animals (watch out for toads!) and typical problems of delivering a baby. What has attracted the most attention from scholars, and even the public, are the scroll’s painted illustrations of the anatomized body, split open like a book or a butchered animal. These occupy the middle of the scroll, between the two main columns of text (which makes no comment on them), and are very rare for the period, really quite astonishing. I know all this because of a fine book recently published on the Arderne scroll by Fri Tanke Förlag (Free Thought Press) and the Hagströmer Library, as part of their bibliographic publication series: John Arderne, De Arte Phisicali et de Cirurgia, trans., commentary, Torgny Svenberg and Peter Murray Jones; afterword, Eva LQ Sandgren (Stockholm: Fri Tanke Förlag – Hagströmer Biblioteket, 2014). Michael Sappol History of Medicine Division National Library of Medicine All images from De Arte Phisicali et de Cirurgica (The Art of the Physician and the Surgeon), courtesy of the National Library of Sweden

Poster showing the anatomy of the head of an adder PUB NIJHOFF Martinus 's Gravenhage Netherlands PUB PFURTSCHELLER PUB HOCHLANZ EMIL Stuttgart Germany "This is one of a large collection of historical...

The Art of Animal Anatomy curates a selection of striking anatomical art into a neat package that would make a perfect gift.

I am very excited to welcome Washington D.C.'s fantastic National Library of Medicine to the blogosphere! All the images you see above are drawn from recent posts found on "Circulate Now," the National Library of Medicine's new blog where such luminaries as Michael Sappol--curator of the unforgettable Dream Anatomy--regularly report on the vast and broad historical collections of "the world's largest biomedical library." You can visit "Circulate Now" by clicking here.