For Instructing Students

Structure & Layout

This photograph exemplifies the standard layout of Cheselden's Anatomical Tables of the Human Body. One page with a numbered diagram is followed by another page with the corresponding Latin labels. Though on separate pages, both are assigned the same "Table" number. There is a relative absence of text, which reflects the intended purpose of this book. For these diagrams were meant to be used by medical students to supplement their prior learning from classroom lectures. (Carlino 1995, 63) These diagrams then function as visual aids and tools rather than as replacements for attending classes or dissections. (Carlino 1995, 62)

Visual Aids & Expert Accounts

The first photograph above calls attention to the educational nature of Cheselden's book. A probe has been included in the diagram of the hand to emphasize the different layers of muscles. This shows an attempt to make visible each structure for the learning of a medical student. The next photograph shows a solid page of text, which is rare in Cheselden's book. It is his account of a surgery that he performed. This expert knowledge would have been useful for students to review learning from lectures or dissections and to test their understanding. Appearing at the end of the book, this personal account resembles that of a review section found in textbooks. The next two photographs provide a close-up example of another diagram and its corresponding labels.