Andreas Vesalius, De humani corporis fabrica libri septem, Basel: ex. off. J. Oporini, 1543, p. 378, woodcut, leaf height 43 cm, N*.1.2(A).

This is the female counterpart of the Belvedere Torso, though it is not clear if this was based on a known sculpture of this period. Vesalius explains that letters were inserted only on one side to avoid cluttering the figure. This figure shows the uterus (ikl) and the bladder (ßBETA), though the latter is dislodged from its normal position. It hangs down to the right of the body in order to show the duct (c) delivering urine from the left kidney into the bladder. The corresponding duct from the right kidney (a) was cut off with a section (b) still visible on the bladder.

The male was paradigmatic of anatomical names and shapes, which meant that the ovary was called ‘testicles’ (r), the ovarian vein the ‘seminal vein’ (d) and the uterus was viewed as an inverted penis in this period.

According to Vesalius, n is the portion of the seminal (ovarian) vein and artery going to the top of the base of the uterus. This confuses the uterine tubes with ovarian blood vessels. The uterine tubes were more correctly described by Gabriele Fallopio (1523-1562).