Mascagni is credited with discovering fifty percent of the lymphatic vessels. As prosector at the University of Siena, Mascagni published the first systematic and definitive description of the lymphatic system.

Using mercury as a contrast medium, Mascagni captured meticulous details of the lymphatic system on 41 brilliantly-executed copperplates. Even with the benefit of modern technology, it is virtually impossible to attain the perfection of his work.

Representation of the trunk of the body; the muscles of the scapula, lying flat under the trapezii muscles; the serrated muscles which raise or depress the ribs in breathing; the longissimus dorsi; the sacro-lumbalis; the intercostals muscles; the recti capitis, and more.

Anatomist and artist John Bell criticized the conventional approach of his day to beautify the body. His own etchings are harshly realistic.

The principal work of the great anatomist Albinus, whose depictions of the bones and muscles - noted for their beauty and accuracy - established a new standard in anatomical illustration.

All 40 copperplates are made from original engravings by Jan Wandelaar, one of the greatest anatomical illustrators and engravers of the 18th century, whose idea it was to include landscape backgrounds. In order to relieve the harshness of the figures and create the illusion of 3-dimensionality, animals were added, amongst them Albinus' famous rhinoceros.

* The cadaver, carefully chosen by Albinus to represent the classical ideals of proportion, appears with his guardian angel posed against a scenic backdrop.

When Bidloo, a Dutch professor of anatomy at the Hague, was unsuccessful selling his book, 300 impressions of the plates were sold to Cowper, who attached them to his own work without giving credit to Bidloo. A scandal ensued and Cowper's deed is still considered among the worst examples of plagiarism in medical publishing.

Bidloo's 207 copperplates were based on drawings by Gerard de Lairesse executed in the "French style," i.e. elegant, but not always anatomically correct. Cowper's contribution to the anatomical work was a new text, revealing considerable research and a number of fresh insights, but his reputation was forever tarnished.

The great Mexican muralist and social revolutionary Diego Rivera captured in a colorful, realistic style the character of his people and the historically significant events that shaped his country politically.

Mechanism of Natural Labor
In the 4th direct position of the vertex (occipito-sacral) and in the 3rd and 4th oblique positions, where the occiput could not be brought behind the symphysis pubis.

The greatest figure in British obstetrics, Scottish-born Smellie taught midwifery on a scientific basis, separating obstetrics from surgery. He emphasized the importance of natural childbirth but when forceps were necessary, outlined rules for their safe use. He is best known for his descriptions of "the mechanisms of labor" or how the infant's head adapts to changes in the pelvic canal during birth.

When first published, A set of anatomical tables was the most accurate and detailed depiction of childbirth ever printed - both with regard to technique and to anatomical description. The copperplates were engraved by Charles Grignion after Jan van Rymsdyk's magnificent drawings.

One of the finest anatomical atlases ever produced - 34 copperplates depicting the life-sized gravid uterus, "anatomically exact and artistically perfect." (Choulant)

The only medical text from the celebrated Baskerville Press in Birmingham, England. Anatomia Uteri Humani Gravidi, published at enormous expense to the author, represents 30 years of work and Hunter's life achievement.