For centuries, artists and anatomists have worked together to create detailed illustrations of human anatomy through paintings and models, improving understanding of the body's structure and function. Key figures who advanced anatomical knowledge through their work include Andreas Vesalius in the 16th century, Leonardo Da Vinci who studied human development, and Galen in the 2nd century whose drawings informed anatomical art for years. Photography later became an important tool in anatomy for teaching, learning, and research applications like medical documentation and histology.

2. For centuries, art has played an important role in the study of
anatomy. Artists and anatomists have worked together over
1000s of years to create detailed illustrations, paintings, and
models of the human body, allowing for a better
understanding of its complex structure and function.
Andreas Vesalius
In 1555 there was a large increase in anatomical
knowledge, errors were corrected through new
discoveries which corrected the Arabic texts4. De
Humana Corporis Fabrica is the set of books
written by Vesalius in 1543. It was a huge advance
in the work of Galen. The book was illustrated by
Galen and most images had beautiful and intricate
landscape backgrounds, following conventions of
ancient Greek sculptures with large muscular
bodies, an idealised man in striking dramatic
poses, looking ‘alive’.
Leonardo Da Vinci
Da Vinci was a polymath, skilled in painting, sculpting,
engineering, mathematics, and architecture. Although
his methods of anatomical research were criminal in
the 1500s, they were vital for understanding anatomy.
Da Vinci studied a foetus developing inside the uterus,
drawing the placenta and invaginations; Although this
wasn’t the most anatomically correct depiction of the
foetus, it was the
fi
rst correct anatomical study of a
foetus. It was the
fi
rst anatomical discovery to show
that in pregnancy, humans have one placenta2.
Galen
Galen was a Greek philosopher and physician in the second century. He
made observations based on dissections that were performed on pigs and
macaques and applied this to human anatomy. He believed that medicine
was a fusion of spirituality, science and religion, often depicting parts of the
body alongside astrological signs. His drawings set the scene for anatomical
artists for years to come, with his
fi
ndings still being taught in the twelfth
century1.
3
5

5. Photography is the art of capturing images using light. A photograph is created by
capturing light on a light sensitive medium e.g.
fi
lm. A camera can capture this light and
turn it into an image which can then be printed or digitally processed and spread around
the world.
Photography: Physics
Understanding the visible spectrum of light is
important in photography. It is made up of
different wavelengths that correspond to
different colours. The camera sensor
detects different colours through colour
fi
lters,
which only allow certain wavelengths of light to
pass through. These wavelengths are then
combined to create a coloured image - true to
visible light.
The physics of photography can be explained through
the interactions of light with materials, and the
manipulation of light using lenses and other optical
components. When light travels through a medium
such as air or glass, it undergoes refraction, the
redirection of a waves as they pass through di
ff
erent
mediums. The lens in a camera refracts the light so it
converges on the cameras sensor, creating an image.
The focal length of the lens is adjustable to achieve
the desired magni
fi
cation and view of the image2.
The aperture is the opening of the lens, which
controls the amount of light that can enter the
camera. A larger aperture allows more light, giving
you a brighter image, a smaller aperture allows less
light therefore a darker image. The size of the
aperture allows you to adjust the depth of
fi
eld, the
range of distance in an image that is in focus.
The sensor of the camera captures this light and
converts it into an image. There are two types of
sensors in digital cameras CCD and CMOS. These
convert light into an electrical signal, which can then
be processed by the camera to create an image.
Photography in Anatomy
Photography is a very important tool in anatomy, for teaching, learning and
fi
nding new
discoveries. In medical photography, photographs may be taken to document surgical
procedures or medical conditions. These can then be used to help diagnose and treat
patients. Histology is another aspect of anatomy where photography is very helpful.
Histology is studying the micro anatomy of tissues, takin photos of these through
photomicrography can also aid in learning, teaching and research.
A diagram showing the refraction of light, indicated by the red
dotted line, and its process of forming an image3.
This diagram shows the visible spectrum, the variety of colour that can be seen through a photograph4.

19. Ultrasounds are a type of sound wave with a frequency higher
than the limit of human hearing, around 20 kilohertz. Sound is a
wave that causes disturbance within a medium. They are used
in a variety of applications not just medical imaging, but also
cleaning and industrial testing, to detect
fl
aws and defects in
metal and plastic materials.
An ultrasound machine sends high-frequency sound
waves into the body and measures the echoes that bounce back.
These echoes then create an image of the internal structures of the
body, such as the organs and blood vessels, and most commonly a
growing foetus. As well as typical 2D ultrasounds, 3D ultrasounds are
increasingly popular in mothers looking at their fetus in the uterus.
They allow you to look at the fetus or patients body in different planes
to identify any defects or diagnoses.
It takes a highly skilled sonographer to master the angulation and
positioning of a transducer to create the perfect ultrasound image to
accurately depict anatomical features of the patient. The softwares
used are technologically advanced, allowing you to highlight the
direction of blood
fl
ow in accordance with the probe. Typically blood
fl
owing toward the probe is red, whilst blood
fl
owing away from the
probe is blue2.
A transducer is placed on a
patients skin to record the
pulses of sound emerging,
and the echoes recorded
create images. There are
three main types of
transducer: Phased array,
curvilinear and Linear. These
are named in relation to the
pulses that they transmit.
The waves are only able to
propagate through a medium
such as water. A water-
soluble gel is used as a
medium in sonography to
detect echoes. They are able
to penetrate soft tissues of
the body, to image organs
and muscles in a non-
invasive way.
A 2D and 3D ultrasound showing a fetus
in the uterus of its mother1.
Similar to MRI scans, ultrasounds don’t
use ionising radiation so are relatively
harmless to people.

22. Richard Zsigmondy developed the
fi
rst ultramicroscope on 1925,
to observe objects below the wavelength of light. Microscopy is
used in various ways to magnify objects and specimens to
observe their detail. It allows people to see organisms and particles
which are not naked to the human eye. There are many
components that form the instrument of a microscope, which allow it
to magnify a specimen by bending light and electrons. Understanding
magni
fi
cation, resolution, lens aberration and depth of
fi
eld are very
important in both light microscopy and electron microscopy1.
The differences between magni
fi
cation and resolution are very important. Magni
fi
cation is
the ratio of the size of an image produced by a microscope, to the size of the object
being observed. Whereas resolution refers to the ability of a microscope to distinguish
two objects as separate entities.
Basic model microscopes for light microscopy, compose of a stage, optical lens,
focal lens, slide, adjustment knobs (
fi
ne and coarse), arm, eyepiece, light source,
objectives (x4, x10, x40). A specimen needs to be appropriately prepared to be
placed on the slide for observation. Staining specimens with iodine or eosin allows
them to absorb the stain and show a more detailed image under the light,
The three main microscopes are light microscopes, the simplest kind you can use,
electron microscopes which uses a beam of electrons instead of visible light to magnify
an object or specimen, and scanning
probe microscopy, which uses a probe
to create an image of a sample by
scanning its surface.
Light Microscope
Electron Microscope
Scanning Electron Microscope
1. Goodhew PJ, John Humphreys JH. Electron Microscopy and Analysis.
3rd ed. CRC Press; 2014.
2. Images: Brelje C. Histology Guide [Internet]. Histologyguide.com. 2014
[cited 2023 Apr 19]. Available from: http://histologyguide.com/