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Japanese Anatomy Scrolls Gallery [Extrem...

The Kaibo Zonshinzu anatomy scrolls, painted in 1819 by Kyoto-area physician Yasukazu Minagaki (1784-1825), consist of beautifully realistic, if not gruesome, depictions of scientific human dissection. [This gallery is NOT for the squeamish.]
Big thanks to Leilah for finding these images.

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7 Comments

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InsayneJayne (Admin) : LVL 65: VP 5: said:

InsayneJayne

3 votes NegativePositive

558 days ago...

More Info:
[taken from Pinktentacle.com]

Unlike European anatomical drawings of the time, which tended to depict the corpse as a living thing devoid of pain (and often in some sort of Greek pose), these realistic illustrations show blood and other fluids leaking from subjects with ghastly facial expressions.

The fact that the bodies used in scientific autopsies in Edo-period Japan generally belonged to heinous criminals executed by decapitation adds to the grisly nature of the illustrations.

mufasa1023 : LVL 35: VP 4.3: said:

mufasa1023

-7 votes NegativePositive

557 days 21 hours ago...

for what it`s worth, there is a museum in Beijing that has two complete human cadavers sliced completely in half and suspended in clear liquid on display

I guess asian cultures just view such things differently than us westerners.

stbasdf : LVL 37: VP 4.5: said:

stbasdf

3 votes NegativePositive

557 days 20 hours ago...

^that`s nothing compared to an exhibit at the museum of science and industry in chicago, i don`t know if it`s travelling, but there are many dissected bodies. there`s one pregnant lady and you can see the fetus, there`s a guy riding a dissected horse, there`s even one of the program`s leaders who died and wanted to be part of the exhibit and his body is wearing a hat. i think the exhibit is called body works if you want to look it up

Soliden : LVL 33: VP 4.2: said:

Soliden

3 votes NegativePositive

557 days 18 hours ago...

I went to the bodies exhibit at South Street Seaport in New York City 2 years ago that was similar to what you are talking about stbasdf. I would highly recommend the exhibit.

Uzo : LVL 38: VP 4.6: said:

Uzo

1 votes NegativePositive

556 days 23 hours ago...

More info:
(from Uzo`s brain)

I don`t think anyone should really comment upon this from an ethical point of view. This is science, and it`s moral imperialism if you claim this is somehow less humane than the dissection of any other organism. It is frightfully realistic, I`ll admit. But remember this was a period of history where you could be executed on the spot for not stepping out of a samurai`s path (it actually happened to an English diplomat .. ultimately leading to a little visit from Commodore Perry in an ironclad - admittedly Perry was a Yank I believe). The dissection of a criminal was probably the only option available in Edo-jidai as the vast majority were Buddhist and thereby remains were cremated.

In fact, the handling of dead bodies was considered thoroughly "unclean" and a specific strata of society was employed/born to do naught but handle corpses lest they `taint` "normal" people.

The `taint` of those born to that strata continues to this day in modern Japan. Check "yeta" on wikipedia for a starter. Although "eta" is just as likely as the "ye" character was removed from standard Japanese several decades ago.

I`ve used many "obscene" words in my time in Japan and the only one that made people panic was `yeta`. A friend who taught me the ins and outs of guttural finger-dismembering Osaka-ben paled when I attempted to explain "scum" by using the word "yeta". Bad idea.

mufasa1023 : LVL 35: VP 4.3: said:

mufasa1023

0 votes NegativePositive

556 days 12 hours ago...

^ stbasdf- yes that is traveling, I saw it first in Munich and then again when it came to Detroit... however those are plasticized and artistic...the bodies I mentioned before are just that, bodies cut down the middle and suspended to be viewed-face still with a horrified expression

and for anybody interested in the strangeness of the human body check out the Mutter museum: http://www.collphyphil.org/mutter.asp

Pojo : LVL 41: VP 4.9: said:

Pojo

0 votes NegativePositive

556 days 10 hours ago...

I`m probably sick but the pictures weren`t that graphic..

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