Contributions to Anatomy
Leonardo Da Vinci was a famous artist and anatomist. An illegitimate child, he grew up in a small town near Florence, Italy and did not attend school with other children. He was not taught Greek or Latin but still showed exceptional talent and intellect in many subjects (Jose, 2001). Even with this limitation, Da Vinci successfully self taught himself how to draw and write. Furthermore, his true skill came from his passion to learn and create. His knowledge came from observation and experimentation with the goal of capturing life, movement, and age in his drawings (Jose, 2001).
Da Vinci studied all aspects of the human body. He aimed to show the journey of aging through his art, with illustrations depicting fetuses to adult men. It is rumoured that Leonardo Da Vinci participated in dissections. He has stated that he dissected thirty bodies in hospitals in Florence and Rome, as well as participated in the public dissections of Santa Croce, Florence (Jose, 2001|). Though the ethics of dissections is highly controversial, there is no denying that the dissections performed by Da Vinci contributed greatly to his revolutionary depictions of human anatomy.
Study of a skull
This drawing illustrates a cranium sectioned. This skull was likely dry and with no soft tissue present on the bones. Leonardo Da Vinci included major veins and arteries in this cross-section, By observing the interior view of the skull, it allowed for Da Vinci to properly locate and illustrate all cavities and surface features otherwise hidden (Clayton, M. and Philo, R. 2012).
Heart and its blood vessels
Anatomical depiction of the heart and its blood vessels, along with notes by Leonardo da Vinci. This page can be dated back to 1513 with considerable accuracy. In his notes Leonardo can be seen diverging from medieval Galenical views on the functions of the heart. In the Galenical system blood passes from the right ventricle through the pores of the interventricular septum to be refined in the left, thus creating the body’s natural heat. Leonardo proposes that it is the mechanical stirring or beating of the blood within the ventricle walls which refines the blood. Leonardo’s willingness to deviate from ancient knowledge and his early recognition the heart’s active role in the movement of blood.
Studies of the Shoulder
Illustrations of the human shoulder in various positions from a variety of angles. His notes include step-by-step instructions on how to draw the muscles of the shoulders and ribs. Demonstrates Leonardo’s desire to understand the underlying mechanisms behind why the human body moves in the way in does. One of his notes reads notes “One possesses a true conception of all figures if one knows their breadth, length and thickness; therefore, if I observe the same in the figure of man, I shall present a true conception in the judgment of all of sound intelligence,” (translation provided by Charles D. O’Malley and J.B. de C.M. Saunders).
Cardiovascular woman
This illustration features an anatomical study of the arterial system of a female torso. Though not entirely scientifically accurate, Da Vinci aimed to demonstrate the spatial relationships of the vessels and organs. Though complex, this drawing is simply a working study including marginal notes (Clayton, M. and Philo, R. 2012).