Wound Man (mid 15th C)
Stabbed, clubbed and shot through with arrows
The 'Wound man' is from an English anatomical treatise. The 'wound man' is a figure found in a number of manuscripts and printed books produced in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its exact purpose remains somewhat mysterious, but it presumably served as a reminder of the injuries to which the human body is prone. These typically range from blows to the head, to stab wounds and bites by snakes and insects.
This particular version of the 'wound man' is found in an English manuscript, although the figure is captioned in Latin. The words do not provide any directions for treatment but merely describe the injury: for example, 'penetration by a sword' or 'an arrow whose point has remained in the thigh'. The artist has evidently detailed the weaponry with loving care and this wound man is remarkable for its concentration of wounds inflicted by violent assault.
It was based on the work of Galen - a Greek physician, surgeon and philosopher in the Roman Empire. He lived 129-216 AD. Galen's influence on medical theory, terminology and practice remained unquestioned in Europe and the Middle East throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
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“Vein Man” (1410)
“The location of bloodletting was thought to be relevant to the ailment. In one reference volume dating to about 1410 — a sort of early almanac — the authors published a rough drawing of a “vein man,” detailing where and how to bleed a patient. Each vein and location on the body was provided with instructions as to how the bleeding…
Source: Wellcome Collection This image is from folio 53 verso from Anathomia by Claudius (Pseudo) Galen.
I really need no reminders of the injuries to which I am prone, but a more useful diagram would've included all of my kitchen appliances and the furniture that stands between the bed and the bathroom.