guest post by François I. Luks It is pretty obvious that medical illustration has its roots in classic art. The early medical illustrators were artists and painters first. Jan Steven Van Calcar and other draftsmen’s anatomic plates for Vesalius’s De Humani Corporis Fabrica, Gerard de Lairesse’s for Professor Bidloo, Jan Wandelaar for Bernhard Albinus (Figure 1), and Jan van Rymsdyk’s for the Hunter brothers are all masterpieces that are as beautiful to look at as they are scientifically accurate. As medical knowledge evolved, however, science became less contemplative (anatomy) and more procedural. Advances in physiology, pharmacology, embryology, and biochemistry paved … Continue reading Spotlight: MedSpeak Illuminated – The Art and Practice of Medical Illustration