The History of Eduard Pernkopf's Topographische Anatomie des Menschen

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.

Figure 1

Eduard Pernkopf (1888-1955) as a young anatomist at the Anatomy Institute in Vienna. (Photograph courtesy of the Institut für Geschichte der Medizin der Universität Wien [Inst. Hist. Med. Univ. Vienna]).

Figure 2

Pernkopf (second row, third from right) and his mentor, Ferdinand Hochstetter (1861-1954), (center of second row) at the Anatomy Institute in Vienna. (Photograph courtesy of the Institut für Geschichte der Medizin der Universität Wien).

Figure 3

Erich Lepier (1898-1974), the first painter to prepare illustrations for Topographische Anatomie des Menschen. (Photograph courtesy of Dr. med. Wilfred Mario Lepier, Vienna).

Figure 4

The superficial layer of the cervical fascia. The skin, subcutaneous tissue, and platysma have been removed from the face and neck on the right side. Watercolor illustration by Erich Lepier. (Reproduced from Pernkopf: Atlas of Topographical and Applied Human Anatomy, Second Edition © 1980, courtesy of Urban & Schwarzenberg, Baltimore-Munich). Image credit: MUV-Josephinum.

Figure 5

Ludwig Schrott, Jr. (1906-1970), the second painter to work on Topographische Anatomie des Menschen. (Photograph courtesy of Franz Batke).

Figure 6

Intra-articular ligaments and menisci of knee joint, from the front. Watercolor illustration by Ludwig Schrott, Jr. (Reproduced from Pernkopf: Atlas of Topographical and Applied Human Anatomy, Second Edition © 1980, courtesy of Urban & Schwarzenberg, Baltimore-Munich). Image credit:MUV-Josephinum.

Figure 7

Karl Endtresser (1903-1978), academic painter (akademischer Maler), the first artist in the Pernkopf group to have had classical training in painting; 1921. (Photograph courtesy of Therese Endtresser, Vienna).

Figure 8

Dissection of structures in the vertebral canal inside the meningeal coverings, the spinal cord, nerve roots, and vessels. Watercolor illustration by Karl Endtresser. (Reproduced from Pernkopf: Atlas of Topographical and Applied Human Anatomy, Second Edition © 1980, courtesy of Urban & Schwarzenberg, Baltimore-Munich.) Image credit: MUV-Josephinum.

Figure 9

Franz Batke (1903-1983), academic painter and undoubtedly the most gifted artist to contribute to Topographische Anatomie des Menschen; 1925. (Self portrait image courtesy of Franz Batke, Innsbruck).

Figure 10

Mediastinal structures after removal of the heart. Demonstration of the bronchial tree and the intrapulmonary blood vessels. A true masterpiece of anatomic illustration. Watercolor illustration by Franz Batke. (Reproduced from Pernkopf: Atlas of Topographical and Applied Human Anatomy, Second Edition © 1980, Urban & Schwarzenberg, Baltimore-Munich). Courtesy of Urban & Schwarzenberg Publishers. Josephinum image credit: MUW-AD-003250-5-ABB-90.

Figure 11

Karl Endtresser, academic painter; Ludwig Schrott, Jr.; Univ. Prof. Dr. med. Eduard Pernkopf; Wener Platzer; Franz Batke, academic painter. Vienna, March 1952. (Photograph courtesy of Univ. Prof. Dr. W. Platzer, Institut für Anatomie der Universität Innsbruck [Anatomy Inst. Univ. Innsbruck]).