ENG586: Writing the Body

Part of the Wellcome Collecition -- An exquisite treasury of illustrations and objects, the Ayurvedic Man picture book presents a visual history of some of the earliest medical systems and healing practices in the world. It traces Ayurveda and Indian medicine as they travelled from East to West, gaining, losing and regaining popularity over the centuries. This extract features a selection of detailed anatomical drawings that seek to map the human body.

A refresh of the 2002 exhibition project, features imaginative anatomical books from the National Library of Medicine’s extensive historical collections, along with the work of 20th- and 21st-century artists. Dream Anatomy shows off the anatomical imagination from 1500 to the present.