Dream Anatomy is a US government website documenting the history of medicine. There documentation of medicine consists largely of medical drawings throughout history. While the history of medicine is in and of itself fascinating, what is also interesting is that the history of medical drawings is also the history of artistic realism. Of course, the function of medicine is to accurately cure ailments. For this reason, all artful renderings of the human body must be realistic.
Now consider the above sculpture.
These manikins, between 6 to 7 inches in length, were made from solid pieces of ivory. The arms were carved separately and are moveable. The thoracic and abdominal walls can be removed, revealing the viscera. In some manikins the internal organs are carved in the original block and are not removable, while they are formed into separate pieces that can be removed.
If you click on the thumbnail above, you will discover little people operating the internal organs. That was the science of the day, not some piece of fantasy. Isn't that amazing?
500 years into the future, I wonder what others will laugh at as being fanciful from our era.
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