Dream Anatomy

In antiquity, the human body's internal structure was subject to speculation, fantasy, and some study, but there were few efforts to represent it in pictures. The invention of the printing press in the 15th century helped to inspire a new spectacular science of anatomy and equally spectacular visions of the body. Dream Anatomy, a lavishly illustrated new publication from the National Library of Medicine, is filled with the anatomical imagery made possible by the printing press, ranging from the detailed and informative to the beautiful, whimsical, surreal, and grotesque. This new catalogue, based on the National Library of Medicine's milestone Dream Anatomy exhibition, displays the anatomical imagination in some of its most astonishing incarnations, from the fourteenth century to present. This fascinating medical art book, filled with rare color illustrations, includes: 170 photos and illustrationsInsightful descriptive textInformative description of the print technologies of anatomical illustration History of anatomy timelineFull exhibition checklistExhibition credits