Saggio di Osservazioni e d’Esperienze sulle Principali Malattie degli Occhi

Antonio Scarpa (1752-1832) was the greatest of 18th century Italian anatomists but left a mixed legacy among his peers. He was a highly skilled draftsman and illustrated most of the his works himself. Nonetheless, he gained a reputation for cruelty and for locking his engravers into their rooms until their efforts mirrored his anatomical vision. Scarpa’s greatest works involved the neurological systems of the eyes, ears, throat, and heart. His Tabulae Neurologicae (1794) contains some of the most beautiful anatomical illustrations ever produced, and is also available for research at Vanderbilt’s History of Medicine Collections.

After Scarpa’s death, his head was removed from his body and is still on display at the University of Pavia. The grotesque irony of this twisted anatomical specimen, compared with the graceful beauty of this illustration, has not been lost on medical history.