4 Headache Medicine, v.7, n.1, p.4-5, Jan./Feb./Mar. 2016

n the Italian Renaissance a number of artists accompanied dissections of human

bodies to better understand anatomy and represent all splendors of the body in their

drawings and paintings. It is believed that the first artist to dissect human cadavers himself

was Antonio Pollaiuolo (1431/32-1498) and that the young Leonardo da Vinci used to

observe him during dissections. The result of Pollaiuolo's studies in cadavers can be

appreciated in his work Battle of Naked Men.

Leonardo himself dissected

several bodies and he is considered

to be the first to illustrate human

anatomy, since Galen and Mundinus

(c.1279-1326) did not use illustration

in their writings. Mundinus is credited

as the "restorer of anatomy" as he used

to dissect human bodies in public and

wrote the first modern anatomical

written text (Anathomia corporis

humani, 1316), a dissection manual.

After Leonardo, a great master in

painting and drawing, it became

usual to see the association of artists

with anatomists during dissection of

human bodies in medical schools.

Many classical illustrations of

human anatomy were only possible

thanks to the collaboration of artists

documenting anatomical details.

Some anatomists were at the same

time well-known painters, with one

of the most famous ones being

Leonardo. Michelangelo dissected

human bodies as well, and he was

a good friend of a physician called

Realdo Colombo (1516-1559) who

Pain, anatomy and art

Dor, anatomia e arte

Marcelo Moraes Valença

, Carolina F. Valença

e Martina F. Valença

Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil;

University of Saint Galen,

Saint Galen and

University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland

EDITORIAL

Figure1. The Last Judgement, Michelangelo (1535-1541).

Figure 2. An Allegory with Venus and Cupid (c. 1545)

Agnolo Bronzino (1503-1572).

Headache Medicine, v.7, n.1, p.4-5, Jan./Feb./Mar. 2016 5

substituted Andreas Vesalius as the Chair of Surgery and Anatomy in the University of

Padua.

Using their knowledge in anatomy the artists developed the best way to draw the

face and the body in different positions was most probably to give a particular

emotion to the subject in the picture. Expression of happiness, sadness and surprise

were important in order to transmit emotion to those who contemplate the painting.

Negative emotions such as suffering and pain were depicted relatively often (Figures

1 and 2). In the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo painted faces of men with extreme

suffering (Figure 2), possibly inspired by some subjects with cluster headache.

In this issue of Headache Medicine we have the privilege to see some of the

works of Eulâmpio José da Silva Neto,

(1)

anatomist and sculptor. His work shows

different expressions, and at the same time, unique features, which are frequently

observed in our patients with incapacitating headache attacks. The pictures of some

of his sculptures are shown in the cover of this issue.

REFERENCE

1. Freitas MFL, Nascimento JJC, Valença MM. Anatomia e arte: união necessá-

ria como o corpo e a alma. Headache Medicine. 2016;7(1):6-10

PAIN, ANATOMY AND ART