“Blinding
ignorance
does mislead
us. Oh!
Wretched
mortals open
your eyes.”
Leonardo Da Vinci and his contribution
to Medicine and Urology
Thomas J, Motiwala H, Karim O, Laniado M, Rao A
Department of Urology, Wexham Park Hospital, Royal County of Berkshire, UK
Leonardo da Vinci
Anatomist
Inventor
Materials and Methods
Early Life
Born Leonardo Di Ser Piero Da Vinci 1452
Illegitimate son of a notary and a peasant girl
Age 14 he was apprenticed to the leading
Florentine sculptor of the day Andrea del
Verrochio
The Study of Anatomy
Majority of anatomical dissections were
based on pigs, oxen and horses
Leonardo himself stated to have dissected
between 5 - 30 human bodies
1500 to 1511 collaborated with the
doctor Marcantonio della Torre together they planned to publish an
anatomical atlas : “Of the Human Figure”.
"Leonardo da Vinci was like a man who awoke too early in the darkness, while the others were all still asleep" Sigmund Freud
“This my configuration of the human body will be
demonstrated to you just as if you had the natural man
before you. The reason is that if you want to know
thoroughly the anatomical parts of man you must either
turn him or your eye in order to examine him from different
aspects, from below, from above, and from the sides,
turning him round and investigating the origin of each part;
and by this method your knowledge of natural anatomy is
satisfied”
Anatomy of the Genito-Urinary system
The Kidney
Topography of renal vessels in
relation to the proximal ureter
The Bladder
“the origin of the penis is situated upon
the pubic bone so that it can resist its
active force on coition. If this bone did not
exist, the penis in meeting resistance,
would turn backward and would often
enter more into the body of the operator
than into that of the operated.”
The Robotic Knight
First robot designed 1495
Design based on anatomical
knowledge
The Da Vinci Robot
The Da Vinci Robot
Other inventions by Leonardo
Da Vinci include: Catapult,
Glider, Parachute and
Helicopter
“He who loves practice without theory is like
the sailor who boards ship without a rudder and
compass and never knows where he may cast.”
References and Acknowledgments
Mr. Amrith Rao
Mr. Karim, Mr. Motiwala, Mr. Laniado and Library staff at Wexham Park Hospital
Leonardo Da Vinci: The Anatomy of Man : Drawings from the Collection of Her
Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Martin Clayton (Author), Ronald Philo (Author), da
Vinci Leonardo (Author)
Michael E. Moran. The da Vinci Robot. Journal of Endourology. December 1, 2006,
20(12): 986-990
Schultheiss D, Laurenza D, Gotte B, Jonas U. BJU International (1999)84, 595600. The Weimar anatomical sheet of Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519): an illustration
of the genitourinary tract
Schutte H, Herman J (1979) Urogenital Drawings by Leonardo Da Vinci, New York
State Journal of Medicine
Murphy L, The Medical Journal of Australia( 1964) Leonardo Da Vinci and the
Anatomy of the Genito-Urinary system