The Art of Anatomy in Medieval Europe (Medieval Lives)

‘McCall offers an exciting new overview of the deep connections between visual and medical culture during the European Middle Ages.’ – Jack Hartnell, author of Medieval Bodies

‘[This book] is rich and scholarly, full of images both gorgeous and grisly and giving much needed attention to medieval anatomical art.’ – Mary Wellesley, author of Hidden Hands: The Lives of Manuscripts and Their Makers

This book is the first modern history of medieval European anatomical images. Richly illustrated, it explores the many ways in which medieval surgeons, doctors, monks and artists understood and depicted human anatomy. Taylor McCall refutes the common misconception that Renaissance artists and anatomists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Andreas Vesalius were the ‘fathers’ of anatomy, and the first to perform scientific human dissection; on the contrary, she proves these Renaissance figures drew upon centuries of visual and written tradition in their works.
This interdisciplinary book will appeal to general audiences interested in the history of the body and medical professionals curious about the history of their discipline, as well as historians of art, medicine and medieval culture.