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  • © 2013

The Heart of Leonardo

Foreword by HRH Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales

Authors:

  • This will be the first time that all Leonardo Da Vinci's drawings of the heart and circulation have been reproduced together accompanied by contemporary translations of his own writings

  • It is the only modern interpretation of Leonardo’s works by a practicing cardiac clinician and anatomist in a way that is meaningful to cardiology and medical specialists

  • Leonardo Da Vinci’s own work will be put in context with modern knowledge and imaging

  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

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Table of contents (6 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxii
  2. Leonardo, Anatomist or Natural Philosopher?

    • Francis C. Wells
    Pages 17-33
  3. Leonardo’s Use of Drawing

    • Francis C. Wells
    Pages 35-172
  4. Leonardo’s Heart

    • Francis C. Wells
    Pages 173-242
  5. Leonardo: A Personal Legacy

    • Francis C. Wells
    Pages 243-248
  6. Back Matter

    Pages 251-256

About this book

This book contains all of Leonardo Da Vinci's drawings on the heart and its physiology, accompanied by re-translations of all of the associated notes. All Leonardo's drawings have been interpreted in the light of modern knowledge by a practicing cardiac clinician and anatomist. The veracity of his work is proven against contemporary dissections of cardiac structure and comparison of his illustrations with contemporary images generated by Magnetic Resonance scanners and high definition ultrasound will astound the reader. Perhaps the most interesting element is the re-dissection of the Ox heart set against Leonardo’s own drawings. His place in the greater scheme of anatomical development will be put into context with his ideas of man’s place in the microcosm/macrocosm continuum.

Reviews

From the book reviews:

Selected as “Highly Commended” at BMA Medical Book Awards for 2014.

“It will be of interest to many others and I hope it reaches the audience it deserves. This is a lovely book. Those few who are specifically interested in Leonardo’s work on the heart will find much of value and I hope it is read by artists, art historians and surgeons, who will fine … that the encounter with Leonardo’s work is intellectually stimulating.” (BMA Medical Book Awards, September, 2014)

Authors and Affiliations

  • , Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom

    Francis C. Wells

About the author

Mr Francis Wells is a cardiothoracic surgeon at Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, the United Kingdom's largest specialist cardio-thoracic hospital and most reputable cardiac centres.

Mr Wells is a recognized world leader in the field of mitral and tricuspid valve surgery. He has the largest experience in mitral valve reconstruction in the UK and amongst the largest in the world, with over 3,000 cases completed. He achieves a near 100% repair rate for fixing leaking mitral valves with mortality at less than 1.0% for first time procedures. His aim is to achieve a normally functioning valve.

He is also an accomplished artist with a specific interest in Leonardo Da Vinci’s drawings of the heart.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: The Heart of Leonardo

  • Book Subtitle: Foreword by HRH Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales

  • Authors: Francis C. Wells

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4531-8

  • Publisher: Springer London

  • eBook Packages: Medicine, Medicine (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Springer-Verlag London 2013

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4471-4530-1Published: 03 June 2013

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-1-4471-7006-8Published: 30 September 2016

  • eBook ISBN: 978-1-4471-4531-8Published: 08 July 2014

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XXII, 256

  • Number of Illustrations: 1 b/w illustrations, 144 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Cardiology, Anatomy, History of Medicine, Fine Arts

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access