Then there were 12: The illustrated cranial nerves from Vesalius to Soemmerring.

Publisher: Routledge Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 9441330 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1744-5213 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 0964704X NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Hist Neurosci Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: 2013- : London : Routledge
Original Publication: London : Smith-Gordon,

Anatomy*/history ; Cranial Nerves*; History, 16th Century ; Humans ; Male

In the second century ce, Galen described seven pairs of cerebral nerves. He did not name the nerves, nor did he illustrate his work. Galen's descriptive texts survived until the mid-sixteenth century, when anatomists, influenced by the artistic and scientific revolution of the Renaissance, began a reformation in anatomical research. They closely observed their own dissected material and conveyed their results not only in words but commonly by lavish drawings. Many of the great anatomists reexamined the cerebral nerves, adding descriptive text or changing the classification. In 1778, Thomas Soemmerring (1755-1830) named 12 pairs of cerebral nerves upon which the modern cranial nerve nomenclature is based. Soemmerring matched his text with clear, decisive illustrations. This article describes the works of some of the great artists in the period from Vesalius to Soemmerring and how they used illustration to supplement and provide clarity for their textual descriptions of the cranial nerves.

Keywords: Anatomy; Andreas Vesalius; Bartholomeo Eustachio; Galen; Govard Bidloo; Samuel Thomas Soemmerring; Thomas Willis; William Cowper; cranial nerves; history of medicine; medical illustration

Date Created: 20220303 Date Completed: 20220718 Latest Revision: 20220825

20240628

10.1080/0964704X.2022.2033077

35239454