Christopher Wren, Thomas Willis and the depiction of the brain and nerves

J Med Humanit. 2009 Sep;30(3):191-200. doi: 10.1007/s10912-009-9085-5.

Abstract

This paper is about Christopher Wren's engravings for Thomas Willis' The Anatomy of the Brain and Nerves of 1664. It is a study in the intersection of medicine and art in 17th century Britain. Willis, an eminent English physician and anatomist, was a major figure in the development of modern neurology, and The Anatomy of the Brain and Nerves was his most famous and influential book. Wren was Willis' assistant and medical artist. I discuss the visual strategies employed by Wren to present their research and frame it as genuine knowledge.

Publication types

  • Biography
  • Historical Article

MeSH terms

  • Books / history*
  • Brain / anatomy & histology*
  • Central Nervous System / anatomy & histology
  • History, 17th Century
  • Humans
  • Medical Illustration / history*

Personal name as subject

  • Christopher Wren
  • Thomas Willis