Book Review
The Fabric of the Body: European Traditions of Anatomical Illustration
N Engl J Med 1993; 328:69January 7, 1993
- Article
The Fabric of the Body: European Traditions of Anatomical Illustration
By K.B. Roberts and J.D.W. Tomlinson. 638 pp., illustrated. New York, Oxford University Press, 1992. $125. ISBN: 0-19-261198-4This remarkable book represents an attempt to follow the interrelations of art and anatomy, as depicted in publications and private works, from the medieval period to the present day. It is not an encyclopedia of anatomical illustrations, but a book based on representative examples of drawings of gross anatomy chosen to demonstrate European and North American traditions. It was written for anatomists, physicians, and medical illustrators.
It is clear from the text that the authors are dedicated to presenting accurate and informative data about each illustration. They are obviously intrigued by the intentions of the artists and how they were influenced by their training, the societies in which they lived, and the printing techniques available at the time.
The book is divided into 16 chapters, beginning with one on anatomists, scribes, and printers and proceeding to chapters on Leonardo da Vinci, baroque anatomy, and anatomy in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and England. It ends with a discussion of new methods of anatomical illustration and the evolution of illustration in modern textbooks of anatomy.
The body of the text is preceded by a brief section entitled “Notes on Printing Techniques.” This section is inadequate in a book of this nature, since much of the evolution of anatomical illustration depended on the development of new printing techniques.
At the end of each chapter there is a selected reading list; thus, there are no intrusive footnotes. The primary sources of the illustrations in this book are illustrated works of anatomy found in libraries in Canada, Britain, continental Europe, and the United States.
The book contains 134 plates, 8 of which are in color. Each plate is accompanied by an explanation of the context in which the image was made and a precise consideration of the anatomy it displays; this commentary also points out the image's shortcomings.
The reader becomes fascinated by the background of each illustration and the purpose and intent of the illustrator. It is interesting to note how many early authors studied anatomy for its own sake; later it was recognized that structures had been put in place by the Creator in order to carry out a particular useful function.
In chapter 15, “The Evolution of Illustration in Modern Anatomy Texts,” the authors describe the comprehensive atlases of the 20th century and the use of photographic and computer-generated images. Interesting discussions are focused on the work of Spalteholz, Pernkopf, Gray, Grant, and Netter. However, little attention is given to the latest generation of illustrated textbooks of gross anatomy, whose content is increasingly being designed to satisfy the needs of modern medical school curriculums. Because of the rapid advances in medical knowledge in recent years, the amount of factual information that medical students are expected to memorize is limited. Consequently, the use of medical illustrations is now confined to providing students with clinically important information.
The Fabric of the Body is apparently the first book on the history of anatomical illustration to be published in English in more than 50 years. It is well written and easy to read. The publishers must be complimented on the excellent reproduction of the plates. The book is handsomely bound and attractively designed. Considering the high quality of the reproductions and the inclusion of some color plates, the book is reasonably priced. It will appeal to a select group of readers who are interested in the history of gross-anatomical illustrations.
Richard S. Snell, M.D., Ph.D.
George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20037- Citing Articles (1)
Citing Articles
1
Muin J. Khoury, Levy M. James, J. David Erickson. (1994) On the use of affected controls to address recall bias in case-control studies of birth defects. Teratology 49:4, 273-281
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