New Books Network Jack Hartnell, "Wound Man: The Many Lives of a Surgical Image" (Princeton UP, 2025)
Sep 18, 2025
Jack Hartnell, an art historian and author, takes us on a captivating journey through the history of the Wound Man—an intriguing medical diagram. He explores its origins in medieval Bohemia and its surprising popularity across cultures. Hartnell dives into the diagram's role in both art and medicine, revealing how it served as a vital educational tool for healers and patients. He also discusses its gender implications and religious significance, linking its serene expression to themes of suffering and salvation. Prepare to see art and medical history in a whole new light!
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Image As Surgical Diagram
- The Wound Man functions as both an illustration and a knowledge-bearing diagram in surgical texts.
- It catalogs injuries to guide healers toward appropriate treatments rather than just shock viewers.
Body As Diagrammatic Tool
- Medieval diagrams often use the body to map complex knowledge like astrology and bloodletting.
- Figures like the Zodiac Man and bloodletting charts are predecessors that normalize bodily diagrams.
Male Norm As Medical Default
- Medieval medical imaging used male bodies as the normative template even for female-specific conditions.
- The Disease Woman appears too, often anatomized and shown with internal reproductive organs.
