The Arts
While non-medical scientific books are clearly adjacent to our collections, texts related to the fine arts might seem like more of a stretch. But look a bit closer, and it doesn’t seem so unusual. The items in this case demonstrate the many links between art and medicine, and explain why someone interested in medical history might want to purchase a book of poetry or an encyclopedia of fine art.
The links between art and anatomy are most apparent in the fields of drawing and painting. Anatomists often hired trained artists to provide the illustrations for their works; in turn, artists studied anatomy to enhance their portrayals of the human form. But the visual arts weren’t the only discipline that intersected with medicine. Doctors tried their hands at fiction and poetry, played musical instruments, and even wrote treatises on musical theory.
