[On the sources of the anatomical illustrations appearing in Quanti-xinlun].

Quanti-xinlun by Hobson is frequently considered to have introduced European scientific anatomy to modern China. It contains numbers of precise anatomical illustrations which surpass by far those found in the Chinese traditional medical books. The impact of Quanti-xinlun derived mainly from the optical effects based on the anatomical illustrations. The present study clarifies for the first time the sources of the anatomical illustrations as being mostly from Wilson's A System of Human Anatomy and Carpenter's Animal Physiology. However in Quanti-xinlun, the editorial sophistication present in the source books was abandoned, with the result that the anatomical contents were extremely minimized. In view of modern Chinese medical history, Quanti-xinlun provided an outline of anatomical knowledge, rather than a textbook encompassing anatomical details. It is concluded that Quanti-xinlun was intended to introduce the European way of thinking at the level of popular science.