The History of Eduard Pernkopf’s "Topographische Anatomie des Menschen"

This historical article by Professor David Williams first appeared in the Journal of Biocommunication in 1988. Based on the author's own experiences with Pernkopf illustrator Franz Batke in 1980 and 1981, the article offered the first historical overview of Eduard Pernkopf’s "Topographische Anatomie des Menschen." The author offers insight into the personal lives and unique work of the Pernkopf illustrators. The Editors wish to thank David for allowing the Journal to republish this seminal article. Original 1988 Abstract:Frequently misunderstood because of the history of the time in which it was produced, Eduard Pernkopf's Topographische Anatomie des Menschen nevertheless represents the pinnacle of color anatomic illustration. The more than 800 magnificent watercolor paintings of human anatomy found in Pernkopf's atlas occupied a number of Viennese artists for three decades. This article closely examines the work and its creators.

Body of evidence: integrating Eduard Pernkopf’s Atlas into a librarian-led medical humanities seminar

Background: Anatomical subjects depicted in Eduard Pernkopf’s richly illustrated Topographische Anatomie des Menschen may be victims of the Nazi regime. Special collections librarians in the history of medicine can use this primary resource to initiate dialogs about ethics with medical students.Case Presentation: Reported here is the authors’ use of Pernkopf’s Atlas in an interactive medical humanities seminar designed for third-year medical students. Topical articles, illustrations, and interviews introduced students to Pernkopf, his Atlas, and the surrounding controversies. We aimed to illustrate how this controversial historical publication can successfully foster student discussion and ethical reflection.Conclusions: Pernkopf’s Atlas and our mix of contextual resources facilitated thoughtful discussions about history and ethics amongst the group. Anonymous course evaluations showed student interest in the subject matter, relevance to their studies, and appreciation of our special collection’s space and contents.