On the Fabric of the Human Body. Book II: The Ligaments and Muscles

  • William Frank Richardson &
  • John Burd Carman
Norman Publishing, $250

Andreas Vesalius (shown far right) published his De humani corporis fabrica libri septem — seven volumes covering the whole of human anatomy — in 1543. Each volume covers a different aspect of the body. On the Fabric of the Human Body. Book II: The Ligaments and Muscles is a translation of the second volume, by William Frank Richardson with John Burd Carman (Norman Publishing, $250). It highlights the skills of Vesalius the dissector, and contains all the well-known full-length muscle plates (above). These take the reader through a dissection sequence that unveils the human body layer by layer. Vesalius' detailed instructions for their use are given in full.