Leonardo Davincis Accomplishments in Anatomy - 1066 Words

L eonardo Da Vinci is famous as a painter, sculptor and inventor. In reality he was so much more, with the range of topics in his arsenal of knowledge being anatomy, zoology, botany, geology, optics, aerodynamics and hydrodynamics to name a few. He did play a large role in the development of knowledge about anatomy and the human body. He was one of the greatest anatomists of his time, although unrecognized for it during his lifetime. Today-more than five hundred years after it was created, there is probably no more recognizable drawing of the human body than Leonardos Vitruvian Man. Vitruvian Man, although well known, many people still do not know the meaning, or the idea that Da Vinci was trying to portray other than a man with†¦show more content†¦He remedies this by advising that the anatomist should make a model of the organ that he is dissecting and then use this as the basis for his drawing. In other words model making and scientific art go hand in hand: we must reconstruct reality before we can represent it. In the case of a hand or a leg these models are used primarily to reveal structure in terms of relationships between different layers of arteries, muscles, bones, etc. These layers vary in number from eight to ten. In other cases these models are intended to reveal both structure and function. For instance, Leonardo makes a glass model of the heart such that the flow of millet seeds in clear water or using water with different colored dyes so that flow patterns can be traced. He deals with anatomy and physiology together and doesn’t make a clear distinction between them, like we do today in modern medicine. One of the most striking features of his notebooks is the manner in which he presents his work. There is no criticism of earlier authors, nor boasting of his own accomplishments. His style is in the form of a teaching manual with descriptions written as advice, showing how someone might proceed if they were performing the same tasks as Da Vinci. The drawings are famous for their anatomical accuracy and the virtuosity of the pen and ink technique employed. Medics today still use his drawings for reference. Not