Whats The Name Of The Antique Style Of Anatomical Illustration Where The Semi Dissected Figures Are

What was your reaction when you were asked to dissect a human body for the first time?

It was a very humbling experience.I was scared on the first day. Very apprehensive. Our anatomy professors were amazing they taught us to respect the dead bodies.The dissection hall bodies were our teachers. They laid the foundation for us to become doctors. We respected them more than the living persons around us.When I entered the dissection hall there were 7 dead bodies, there was a weird smell, it was neither foul nor sweet. All the bodies were neatly lined up on tables. We were divided in to batches and assigned a table. I noticed that there was an old lady, a middle aged man and on our table was a muscular young male.I wondered what these people did when they were alive. Why did they die? Why were they abandoned? Why didn't their families come to claim them.?I was amazed at natures creation. How intricate the human body was. As we went layer by layer of dissection we observed new structures. So complex, so beautiful and so perfect.We had about equal numbers of boys and girls in our dissection batch. The girls would crowd around the body and fight among themselves as to who would do the dissection. The boys would stand in one corner and see the fun of girls competing.The boys would tell the girls ‘if you see an important structure please call us and show it to us’. We would spend the time talking about college, cricket or movies and keep the Cunningham (textbook of anatomy dissection) open in our hands so that the professors won't get suspicious. Just before the semester exam there would be a frenzy to look at the anatomical structures.We would carry the anatomy hall smell on our clothes to our house or hostel. The family members would freak out smelling us and wash our clothes separately. It was difficult to eat food for the first few days as our hands would smell. We used to do dissection without gloves.The people who became dissection specimens after their death have done great service to humanity, because they continue to serve humanity even after their death. Have you seen anyone else doing it?My advice to first year students, utilize the dissection class to the fullest as in many developed countries students finish their MBBS without dissecting a human body and have to rely on computer simulation and dummy cadavers.Look at the complex structures you see in the human body.Image source: google

What is the best book to learn to draw anatomy?

There are tons of books for anatomy. I personally don't like books which show a lot of detail and "skill" in their books. I find it overwhelming. Thus the books I have recommended are easy to understand, simple to use and copy from.I use separate books for everything:Andrew Loomis - Drawing Heads And Hands for drawing Head and HandsDrawing - See It by Sheldon Borenstien for basic figure drawing(mostly female) I recommend you start with this book for drawing basic human structure. This book will also help you understand the strokes to draw.Its not overwhelming and has very simple and effective sketches.Bridgmans Complete Guide To Drawing From Life for male figure study(and advanced figure study)You can also refer to:Constructive Anatomy by Bridgman for individual parts.For Animal Anatomy I would recommendThe Art Of Animal Drawing by Ken Hultgren.