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a drawing of one of Ruysch's creations, featuring fetal skeletons
Deathly Displays, circa 1662–1731
Frederik Ruysch’s collections blended specimens for scientific discovery with macabre art.
Deathly Displays, circa 1662–1731
Deathly Displays, circa 1662–1731

Frederik Ruysch’s collections blended specimens for scientific discovery with macabre art.

Frederik Ruysch’s collections blended specimens for scientific discovery with macabre art.

anatomy, history

Homo sapiens Exposed, 1556
Sukanya Charuchandra | Sep 1, 2018 | 2 min read
Juan Valverde de Amusco’s anatomical drawings corrected some earlier errors while making anatomy more accessible.
Whaling Specimens, 1930s
Amanda B. Keener | Sep 1, 2015 | 3 min read
Fetal specimens collected by commercial whalers offer insights into how whales may have evolved their specialized hearing organs.
A Visionary’s Poor Vision, 1685
Jyoti Madhusoodanan | Oct 1, 2014 | 3 min read
William Briggs’s theory of optic nerve architecture was unusual and incorrect, but years later it led to Isaac Newton’s explanation of binocular vision.
Imaging Intercourse, 1493
Rina Shaikh-Lesko | Jul 1, 2014 | 2 min read
For centuries, scientists have been trying to understand the mechanics of human intercourse. MRI technology made it possible for them to get an inside view.
The Neuron Doctrine, circa 1894
Chris Palmer | Nov 1, 2013 | 3 min read
Santiago Ramón y Cajal used a staining technique developed by Camillo Golgi to formulate the idea that the neuron is the basic unit of the nervous system.
Slices of Life, circa 1872
Dan Cossins | Jan 1, 2013 | 2 min read
A master of topographical anatomy, Christian Wilhelm Braune produced accurate colored lithographs from cross sections of the human body.
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