Enfilade

Now on view at the RCP:

Under the Skin: Illustrating the Human Body
Royal College of Physicians, London, 1 February — 15 March 2019

Tabulae neurologicae, Antonio Scarpa, published Pavia, 1794 (London: Royal College of Physicians).

Identifying and understanding what lies under our skin has been central to medical research and training for hundreds of years. Physicians, surgeons, artists, and printers have developed tools and techniques to illustrate human anatomy and to communicate what is hidden inside the human form. From simple woodcuts to high-tech MRI scans, their greatest challenge has been to represent the layers of the three-dimensional body on the two-dimensional screen or page.

Their efforts are masterpieces of art and science. The drawings, books, and objects from the RCP library, archive, and museum collections displayed in this exhibition capture beautiful and unsettling interpretations of the shapes, structures, and textures of organs and tissues. Visit the exhibition to explore the artistry and innovation of anatomical illustration from the medieval world to the present day.