Sympathetic Chain and Vagus in the Thorax, Hirschfeld Double Folding Plate, 1866

This antique anatomy print of the sympathetic chain and vagus in the thorax is an original 1866 hand colored lithograph from Hirschfeld and Leveille's Nevrologie atlas, published in Paris by G. Masson. It is the double plate numbered 34 and 35 in the atlas. Printed on a folding sheet, it shows a single lateral dissection of the head, neck, thorax and upper abdomen, with the cervical and thoracic sympathetic chain, the vagus and phrenic nerves running to the root of the lung, the ribs and vertebral bodies, the diaphragm and the kidney region below.

The plate comes from the atlas to Ludovic Hirschfeld's Nevrologie et Esthesiologie, the second edition of his treatise and iconography of the human nervous system and the organs of sense, published in Paris by G. Masson in 1866. Every figure was drawn from life by J. B. Leveille directly from Hirschfeld's own dissections, printed as a lithograph by Lemercier of the rue de Seine, and colored by hand. Leveille's plates are among the most admired anatomical illustrations of the nineteenth century, exact enough to teach from and drawn with a restraint that keeps them beautiful rather than merely clinical.

This hand colored lithograph will appeal to collectors of the history of medicine and to anyone drawn to the meeting of art and science. Displayed on its own or alongside other plates from the Hirschfeld atlas, it suits a study, a library, a surgery or a thoughtfully furnished home.

This plate is in good condition for its age, with light age toning, scattered foxing and minor marks. The sheet also shows a horizontal fold line with a short tear at the right edge, and a faint pencil annotation in the right margin. The toning is consistent with age, and the images show further condition details.

This is an original antique plate, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.