The Sciatic Nerve in the Thigh, Antique Hirschfeld Anatomy Print, 1866

This antique Hirschfeld anatomy print of the sciatic nerve in the thigh is Plate 60 from Hirschfeld and Leveille's Nevrologie atlas, an original hand-colored lithograph published in Paris by G. Masson in 1866. Two dissections of the back of the thigh run from buttock to knee. The first shows the great nerve trunk emerging from under the gluteal muscle and running down the middle of the thigh with its branches. The second is a deeper preparation, with the hamstrings separated and the nerve, its branches and the accompanying vessels displayed.

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 the consulting room of a physician, physiotherapist or orthopaedic surgeon, 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 marginal marks. The left edge is uneven with slight wear, and there is faint staining near the lower corners. 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.