The Intercostal Nerves and Spinal Ganglia, Hirschfeld Anatomy Print, 1866

This antique Hirschfeld anatomy print of the intercostal nerves and spinal ganglia is Plate 51 from Hirschfeld and Leveille's Nevrologie atlas, an original hand-colored lithograph published in Paris by G. Masson in 1866. The thoracic wall is seen from inside, with the ribs cut and the vertebral column and spinal cord exposed in a long vertical opening. The spinal nerve roots and ganglia emerge in a regular series alongside the cord, and the intercostal nerves run out along each rib into the muscle.

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, and the sheet was printed by Lemercier of the rue de Seine. The technique is lithography, and the coloring is original hand color.

Leveille's plates are among the most admired anatomical illustrations of the nineteenth century. They are exact enough to teach from, yet drawn with a restraint that keeps them beautiful rather than merely clinical, and a Hirschfeld anatomy print of this kind will interest collectors of scientific illustration and the history of medicine. This hand-colored lithograph would suit a medical practice, a physiotherapy clinic, a study or a library, and it works well hung in a series with other nerve plates from the same atlas.

Condition is good. The sheet shows light age toning, scattered foxing and minor marks. Foxing and staining are more pronounced in the lower-right margin, and there is slight edge wear. The toning is ordinary for paper of this age. Please review the images for further condition details.

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