From the first dissection scenes of antiquity to the neurology and cardiology of our own time, artists and physicians have watched the human body together. This book traces that long dialogue, mixing the history of art with the history of medical science.
The journey runs from Egyptian medicine and the Greek and Roman world through Arab and Jewish medicine in the Middle Ages to the great anatomical discoveries of the modern era, with portraits of key figures such as Herophilus, Galen, Andreas Vesalius, René Laennec, Ignaz Semmelweis and Jean-Martin Charcot. Artists are seen through the often overlooked lens of illness and pathology, from Michelangelo and Goya to Edvard Munch, the “impossible diagnosis” of Vincent van Gogh, and Frida Kahlo‘s fierce will to live in spite of physical suffering.
Alexis Drahos specializes in the relations between art and science and in nineteenth-century painting; his earlier books include a study of astronomy in art, also published by Citadelles & Mazenod. The volume includes a chronology, bibliography and index.
A splendid book for physicians, medical historians and anyone fascinated by the body in art, and a memorable gift for a doctor.
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