Leonardo Da Vinci's Role In Medicine

Leonardo Da Vinci medicine

Da Vinci's training in the anatomy of the human body began with his apprenticeship to Andrea del Verrocchio who was an Italian artist and goldsmith and was the manager of an important workshop. He was known by his nickname "Verrocchio" which is Italian for true eye, because of his skill as an artist. He trained many famous artists including Da Vinci and insisted that all his students learn anatomy. As a talented artist, Da Vinci quickly mastered anatomy. Drawing many diagrams of muscles, tendons and other visible features of the human body.

Da Vinci created a notebook, which was commenced in 1489. It concentrated on diagrams and studies of the optic nerves including the eyes and the brain. Sophisticated drawings

It is estimated that Da Vinci dissected about 30 cadavers. From 1510 to 1511 he so in his discoveries with Dr. Marcantonio della Torre. Da Vinci made over 240 detailed diagrams and wrote more than 13,000 words on anatomy these were compiled, are now known as the Anatomical Manuscript A .The orginal papers were left to his close friend, Francesco Melzi, for publication, a task of extreme difficulty because of the scope and Leonardo's unusual writing. It was left incomplete at the time of Melzi's death more than 50 years

This drawing contains certain in-accuracies therefore, the diagram is more appropriate for the fetas of a cow rather than a woman.

Da Vinci produced other breath taking drawings of the various organs in a woman's body and was also the first person to draw the uterine artery and the vascular system of the cervix and uterus . At the time the uterus was thought to be made up of several compartments and in the case of multiple pregnancies each occurred in a different part of the uterus. Da Vinci corrected this by drawing a single-chambered uterus.

Da Vinci's studies of heart bought interesting results. He payed visits to slaughterhouses where he observed the killing of pigs; the animals were killed by the stabbing of a skewer into their hearts. During these visits he was able to observe that the beat of the heart coincided with the movement of blood into the main arteries.

This man used art in a way that was never thought of. He discovered and explored many different part of the human body and made earth shattering discoveries that we take for granted