The Humerus and the Nerve Trunks of the Arm, Hirschfeld Anatomy Print, 1866

This antique anatomy print of the humerus and the nerve trunks of the arm is an original 1866 hand colored lithograph from Hirschfeld and Leveille's Nevrologie atlas, published in Paris by G. Masson. It is plate 48 in the atlas. The dissection here is carried deeper still: the shoulder and upper arm with the deltoid and biceps cut away and the humerus exposed, the nerve trunks and vessels running down to the elbow, and the forearm and hand with the superficial flexors removed to show the deep muscles, the artery and the nerves passing into the fingers.

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 marginal marks. The sheet also shows slight surface soiling and wear along the right edge, with faint handling creases. 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.