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the age of 26, Rembrandt was commissioned to
At
the piece entitled "The Anatomy Lesson of
produce
Nicolaes Tulp". It shows that the theme of
Dr.
could also be used without showing the
anatomy
scene shows a traditional anatomical lesson. Dr.
The
is showing his engaged audience the muscles
Tulp
tendons of the left arm of Aris Kindt. Kindt was
and
to death following his conviction for armed
hanged
Many convicts sentenced to death would
robbery.
feature on an anatomists table. The
usually
students are peering into a book whilst
captivated
seeing the dissection taking place in front of
also
this work, Anatomy and the interest in the
With
had moved away from scientific textbooks
subject
had become a part of the global and artist
but
with the subject.
fascination
Anatomy Act of 1832 would see a further
The
within the artist world. Prior to the act,
explosion
was an illegal trade in corpses as anatomists
there
more bodies for dissection. The age of
demanded
bodysnatcher was a profitable one and even led
the
murder.
to
years before the act became law, Burke and
Four
were selling corpses to Dr Robert Knox for his
Hare
anatomical lessons in Edinburgh. Not all of the
own
provided were those from natural deaths.
corpses
and Hare would go on to murder 16 victims in
Burke
to maintain a steady supply of bodies for the
order
1832 Anatomy art would eventually bring this
The
activity to an end. It would also bring more
illegal
to those that specialised in anatomical
freedom
With the work largely on the fringes of
illustrations.
law, many went uncredited for their work in
the
to protect themselves. Now, they were free to
order
more credit for their work. No longer seen as an
take
activity, a mass of anatomical books hit the
illegal
market with each displaying wonderfully
general
plates.
painted
such book would go on to dominate our
One
of the human body. Gray's Anatomy
knowledge
expand on the work of Vesalius whose work
would
published in Latin. Henry Gray would write the
was
accessible and inexpensive anatomy textbook
most
is still used by medical students to this day.
that
in 1858 and illustrated by Henry Vandyke
Released
the work was the product of the newfound
Carter,
Credit:;The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp/ Rembrandt / Rijksmuseum
internals of the human body.
lessons of Dr Knox.
them. It is wholly possible that this book is work of
Vesalius.
freedoms of the 1832 Anatomy Act.