illustration from hans von gersdorff’s book ‘ feldtbůch der wundartzney: newlich getruckt und gebessert’, 1529

the combination of art and medical knowledge has been used to teach and protect communities since mankind’s early years. however, the desire to represent our inner physical selves in pictureshas not always been as strong as our need to speculate. the contemplation of our internal workings has ranged from the mystical and spiritual to the surreal and then the informative. in all these forms the manifestation of our inner workings in imagery reveals just as much about our outer worlds, our beliefs and lifestyles.

anatomical maps: a short history artist unknown