Leonardo
da Vinci is one of the greatest painters of all time. Among his works, the Mona Lisa is his most
famous. Although, he is famous as one of the greatest ever painters, he was an
expert anatomist too. As an oral
and maxillofacial surgeon, I have always been especially interested in his
anatomical works. The Vitruvian Man, the
drawing of Roman architect, is the icon of human body proportion. Facial plastic surgeons strive for the golden
facial ratio he demonstrated through his drawings.
Interestingly, there is another story regarding
his anatomical works. He is the first
person to describe the maxillary sinus.
His work on the maxillary sinus is very significant indeed. Size, shape, location are all perfect in his
drawings. The relationships between the
sinus and the teeth and the nasal cavity are also amazingly precise. I wonder how he did the accurate dissections
in the 15th century using only primitive knifes and saws? In my opinion, he is a true genius!
