APCOM

The knowledge of the human body has fascinated men of all ages. Among the many people who tried to understand and portray its mysterious perfection, was Leonardo da Vinci, who epitomized the universality of the Renaissance spirit also through his anatomical studies. The Department of Medicine and Surgery of Milano's Bicocca University has gathered in an exhibition, 'I segreti del corpo' (The body's secrets), Leonardo's masterpieces that narrate the ancient and constant curiosity of men towards his biological existence.

The event's authors have carried out a second reading of his anatomical drawings by linking their contents with the past and recent achievements of medical science. The 'Sala del Tesoro' and the 'Sala delle Panoramiche' of Castello Sforzesco will host, up to July 31st, the many stages it went through: from antiquity to the Middle Ages, from the Renaissance to the development of modern sciences and technologies, to the most relevant scenarios of biomedical research.

The 'Sala del Tesoro' houses the original volumes on anatomy, which date back to the period which goes between the 14th and the 19th century which are conserved in the Trivulziana Library. Furthermore one can see the reproduction of a selection of Leonardo's anatomical drawings provided with his written commentaries. The 'Sala delle Panoramiche' displays the history of the anatomical research beginning from the Greek antiquity until the latest discoveries. In the same period, four conferences will take place in the premises of Bicocca University: the first one, 'Leonardo and the anatomy's revolution', is scheduled on May 28th.