Some of the earliest depictions of the human spine: a glimpse into European history

Drawings of the human form have a history almost as old as mankind itself. However, illustrations of the human spine as seen with the vertebral column were not seen until much later. This paper reviews some of the early European depictions of the human vertebral column from the twelfth (e.g., Fünfbilderserie “Bone-Man”: 1152 A.D.) and thirteenth (e.g., Ashmole 1292) centuries. Man’s understanding of his body has evolved over hundreds of years. This glimpse into our past and early drawings of the human spine illustrate how this particular anatomical structure was perceived almost a millennium ago and would not be structurally correct renditions until Leonardo da Vinci in the fifteenth century.