Eustachi’s Rescued Masterpieces, 1552 – An era of anatomical accuracy begins

Historian Andrew Cunningham wrote, "The problem underlying all images of anatomical dissection is that they are all idealizations. In fact, engravings (and photographs) are attempts to solve the same problem: revealing what the anatomist wants to make visible. Anatomizing is not merely a very complex task. Distinguishing all the structures visible to a trained anatomist’s eye is very difficult for those who are not yet anatomists."

Italian anatomist Bartolomeo Eustachi was one of the founders of the study of human anatomy. His affiliation with two hospitals in Rome allowed him to obtain and examine the cadavers of fetuses, infants and adults. In 1552, with the help of artist Pier Matteo Pini, Eustachi created a magnificent work of anatomical illustration. Unfortunately, most of the images were lost until the early eighteenth century. The lost masterpieces were eventually discovered 162 years later in the possession of one of Pini’s descendants, and in 1714 the complete series of 47 engravings was published under the title Tabulae Anatomicae Bartholomaei Eustachi, Tenebris Tandem Vindicatas (Bartholomeo Eustachi’s Anatomical Illustrations Rescued from Obscurity). The engravings depict the kidneys, brain, spinal cord, muscles and various other organs.

Medical historian Ole Daniel Enersen writes: "Artistically, they were not as well executed as the anatomical plates of Vesalius, but anatomically they are sometimes more accurate than those of Vesalius. Had the plates been published when they were made, Eustachi would undoubtedly rank alongside Vesalius as a founder of modern anatomy, and anatomical studies would have reached maturity in the seventeenth rather than the eighteenth century."

Eustachi is also famous for his discussion of the Eustachian tube, named in his honor, which connects the nasopharynx (upper throat) to the middle ear. This tube allows air to pass and equalizes pressure between the middle ear and the atmosphere.

Description of the article image: An illustration from Bartholomeo Eustachi’s Tabulae Anatomicae (1714).

Historical figures mentioned in the article: Bartolomeo Eustachi (1500–1574)

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