Vagus and Sympathetic Nerves of the Trunk, Hirschfeld Double Folding Plate, 1866

This antique anatomy print of the vagus and sympathetic nerves of the trunk 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 32 and 33 in the atlas. The folding sheet carries one continuous lateral dissection from the head down through the neck and thorax to the abdomen, tracing the sympathetic trunk and the vagus from the cranium along the vertebral column to the lung root, the aorta and the stomach. The liver, gall bladder and diaphragm are shown, and the stomach is covered by a fine nerve plexus.

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.

For collectors of medical and scientific prints, this antique anatomy print joins precise observation with careful hand color. A single Hirschfeld plate makes a quietly striking picture for a study, library or consulting room, and several plates from the same atlas hang well together as a group.

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 across the sheet, with slight edge wear and a small crease near the top edge. 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.