Medieval dissection. Coloured historical artwork of human dissection at a medieval medical school. A man is preparing to dissect the corpse, probably

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Medieval dissection. Coloured historical artwork of human dissection at a medieval medical school. A man is preparing to dissect the corpse, probably that of a convicted criminal, guided by a demonstrator. A professor (upper centre), for whom actual cutting was considered too demeaning, described what the demonstrator revealed. Medieval medical theory was mostly derived from the ancient works of Roman physicians, especially Galen (130- 200). Galen's anatomical work had been mainly done on animals, with the results being (sometimes incorrectly) applied to humans. These errors were compounded by mistakes in copying and translation. This is a 15th century Italian artwork.

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Size: 3109px × 4631px
Photo credit: © SHEILA TERRY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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