Superficial anatomy of the heart of Rattus norvegicus - Julie Lefevre


Name:
Julie Lefevre

Country:
Belgium

Social networks:
https://www.instagram.com/julie._.lefevre

Title:
Superficial anatomy of the heart of Rattus norvegicus

Specie:
Rat

Description:
This illustration arose from a very careful and thorough dissection of the heart of the rat. While preparing myself, I found that the external anatomy of the heart was often very hard to understand from images in atlases. I wanted to show a 3D-like rendering, but only by using 2D techniques. The arteries and veins each have a very different course from the heart to the different regions of the body, but at first sight they all looked indistinguishable. I spent many hours following bloodvessels, sketching, and drawing imaginary cross-sections until I finally understood what the heart looked like from all sides. The illustration on the left depicts the ventral side of the heart, the one on the right the dorsal side. My purpose is to help and educate students about this fascinating organ.

Category:
Scientific illustration

Technique:
Pencil on paper, digital colour in photoshop

Year:
2018