Salt Lake Herald-Republican | 1920-02-01 | Page 26 | Leonardo De Vinci as an Anatomist

Leonardo De e Vinci Ti c as a an A Anatomist atomist 1 T EO A DO DA VINCI the painter of Mona MonaL MonaLisa J L I- I Lisa Isa sa a and The Last Supper is now rec recognized as the first great scientific anatomist Although he accomplished so much toward l a n correct understanding understanding- of the human bod body bode his work was destined to have hove no tangible traceable Influence on the immediate development of anatomy and of medicine because as ns a writer in in the thc Journal of the American Medical Association Association Association tion points out it was not to become known gen gen- until many generations had passed and then only through fragmentary records Van cl clan m B Brock ock points out that Leonardos Leonardo's work in other sciences also remained sterile in the samo same sense as his work in Ln anatomy He is said to have studied the thc question of aviation over many years and to have ha declared that the flying machine must be built like the body of or a bird s sp sQ that the aviator cats can balance him himself and move through the 1 air r like lik a big Bird gird to the glory glor o of 01 f the nest where herc he was born A As further examples of the scope of or his in interests interests interests in- in ma may be mentioned his studies of plant life his interpretation o of the sea shells on the mountain tops around Florence and then the note in in large letters on one of his sketches The liThe sun does docs not move move A child of free love disinherited disliked by br his st stepbrother other and often misunderstood misunderstood misunderstood stood Leonardo after years is taking his right place in history y as ns one of the most gifted of or men and as one of the most versatile and original of investigators When Leonardo Leonardo da cIa Vinci died in 1519 l 19 says the authority above mentioned his anatomic notes and sketches passed by will to his faithful friend Melzi who while he hc lived guarded them themas as his most precious possession but unfortunately unfortunately this reverence did not pass with them to his heirs Yet notwithstanding their extensive roundabout and still in large degree untracked travels a acry very cry large part of or Leonardos Leonardo's anatomic manuscripts manuscript and drawings at last last lase found safo safe abodes and became available for fOl stud study an and reproduction reproduction reproduction re re- re- re production under favorable a con conditions The liThe fourth centennial anniversary unni of or Leon Leon- aido's arclo's death has hag brought out a number of articles in which his work particularly in anatomy an and n physiology is discussed in the light ht of the latest latent 1 investigations that anatomists historians an ant J linguists have made of it g t III It appears to be established beyond any qu quion qua lion ion of doubt that Leonardo commenced to di dis df dissect sect when he tens WOT about 37 years old in the hosp hosp tal of Santa Maria 1 Nova in Florence that Ii h continued this work in Milan 1 and that hat he be d' d d'- d' in Rome Ronie in 1513 when he was 61 yea yea old at t which time Leo X X- forbade further war w r of that kind It is stated that in all he be dissect more than bodies of men and women at va ous ages besides various arious animals Nor is theany the an any longer any question about the absolu originality and complete te independence of anatomic work which he carried far beyond requirements of anatomy as pertaining to a n aThis aThis This is shown in the remarkable that he lie paid more and closer attention to the i organs than even Vesalius or the oth anatomists of or that period What interest h the artist in the cerebral ventricles the the intern intent arrangement of the heart the course o of deeper nerves and vessels It was a great 1 I to toof of anatomic m tomic and physiologic investigation science that led him to work on and on the years stealthily no doubt with poor and under many other difficulties but what amazing results f Hopstock one of the editors of Leon Leonardo ardor Windsor manuscripts himself an anatomist 3 ofa afi of afia a careful ul review rc of all the published gives in essence this estimate of Leonardo r anatomist i II No one before him dissected so many bodi bode and no one understood the results of his dins diss tion so well as he no one before him feint in drawings g the muscles vessels and nerves nerves nerves' they are arc which he did lid no one before him the heart ll so well but whether he understood circulation or thought he had a definite idea the correct e explanation of the circulation of blood remains doubtful lie Ile was the first i represent correctly the skeleton to inject ve ye with a solidifying ing mass to make casts of ot t t t. t ventricles of the brain to practice serial As revealed by the notes which cover a per perl of 30 ye years rs and his marvelous red chalk drains drain's dra ora jn ins in's s and impromptu sketches by the side sido of t dissected bo body his work throughout is charad r by an almost uncanny accuracy deep ply p pu ologie in insight ight untiring ze zeal l 1 and an tense e of oC the beautiful