July 2016 Historical Book of the Month

Skeleton image from Osteographia by Cheselden

This month’s featured historical treasure is Osteographia, or The Anatomy of the Bones by William Cheselden. Published in London in 1753, this exquisite volume includes depictions of human and animal skeletons in interesting vignettes and in lifelike poses. His artists, Gerard van der Gucht and Jacob Schijnvoet, were the first to use the camera obscura to create more accurate engravings for book illustration.

For more information on the collections of the P.I. Nixon Medical Historical Library, contact Andrea Schorr, Head of Resource Management, at schorr@uthscsa.edu or 210-567-2403.

Article Categories: History of Medicine, News from the Libraries, Treasures of the P.I. Nixon