Decoding
Da vinci This booklet contains translations of the notes that accompany some of the drawings on display in this exhibition. Leonardo is famous for writing his notes backwards. Contrary to popular belief, this was not because he wished to keep his researches a secret from others but because he was left-handed. Writing his notes from right to left was therefore easier for him, allowing him to avoid smudging the ink with his hand and pulling rather than pushing the pen against the grain of the paper. This discovery has made it possible for researchers to translate his writings from their original Italian; opening-up our understanding of Leonardo and the incredible range of his studies and achievements.
derbymuseums.org
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The layers of the scalp, and the cerebral ventricles 1 Hair; scalp; muscular flesh; pericranium arises from the dura mater; cranium, that is, bone; dura mater; pia mater; brain 2 Hair; scalp; flesh; pericranium 3 Hair; scalp; lacertus flesh; pericranium; cranium; pia mater; dura mater; brain 4 If you will cut an onion through the middle you will be able to see and enumerate all the coats or rinds which circularly clothe the centre of this onion. 5 Similarly if you will cut through the middle of the head of a man you will first cut the hairs, then the scalp, then the muscular flesh and pericranium, then the cranium; and inside, the dura mater, the pia mater and the brain; then again the pia mater and dura mater and the rete mirabile and then the bone, their foundation.
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The throat and the muscles of the leg Commence the anatomy at the head and passes over the bridge d n [epiglottis] some particle could fall through the mouth d and finish it at the soles of the feet. pass through c [the rima glottides] which 2 Put in all the passages which the veins would be fatal. But Nature has arranged make in the flesh and their ramifications the saccules a b [the two ventricles] which between the flesh and the skin. In this way receive such a particle and proceed to keep you will locate all the veins which come out it until with coughing the wind issues with between the flesh and skin. impetus from the lungs by way of c, eddies, and drives the droplets squeezed out by the 3 Which are the muscles which relax or contract in the movement of any limb in walls of the saccules a b by way of d; and so this harmful matter is thrown out of its any movement? position. 4 a shows the way a mouthful of food 13 The uvula is the gutter whence falls the completes the closure of the epiglottis, humour which descends from above b, over the mouth [of the larynx] by and falls by way of the oesophagus into which wind enters the lungs. the stomach. It has no occasion to go by way 5 Rule to see how the sound of the voice of the trachea to descend into the spiritual parts [i.e. the chest]. is generated at the head of the trachea. This will be understood by separating 14 Write on the cause of the voice without from a man the trachea with the lung; sound, as do those who speak into the ear of which lung filled with air and then suddenly someone else [i.e. whisper]. pressed will immediately enable one to see how the fistula of this trachea generates the 15 When one swallows or gulps down a voice. And this will be seen and heard well mouthful one cannot breathe. with the neck of a swan or a goose which is 16 You will demonstrate which muscles push often made to sing after it is dead. the tongue out of the mouth, how much, and 6 The two ventricles are those which make in what way. the voice sound, and when they are full of 17 Note in what part the nerves or cords humour then the voice is raucous. a b c d arise from the basilar bone [of the 7 Break the jaw from the side in order that skull] and from what ventricle and attach the you see the uvula in its position, what use whole together. And exercise the greatest it is, and how close it is to the mouth of the diligence in demonstrating this movement trachea. of swallowing; and also of the high and low 8 One cannot swallow and breathe or give voice. voice at the same time. Nor can one breathe 18 you will first make each articulation of through the nose and mouth at the same the instruments which move, and define time; and this is proved by trying to blow a them separately, and then put them together whistle or flute, one with the nose and one bit by bit so that with clear knowledge the with the mouth at the same time. whole can be composed. 9 Why does the voice become high-pitched 19 These glands [the thyroid] are made to in old men? The voice becomes high-pitched fill in where the muscles are absent; and they in old men because all the passages of the hold the trachea away from the bone of the trachea are narrowed in the way that other ‘forcula’ [clavicle]. entrails are. 20 Draw this trachea and oesophagus cut 10 Write on what sound is, and what din is, down through the middle in order to be able uproar, noise, etc. to demonstrate the shape of their cavities. Furthermore demonstrate how the bridle 11 If you draw in air through the nose and [frenum] of the tongue is situated in the send it out through the mouth you will hear the sound made by the partition [palate] that tongue. 21 Write on the causes of high- and lowis the membrane in‌ pitched voices. 12 Air enters and goes out through the mouth [of the larynx] d, and when food 1
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The bones of the foot and the muscles of the neck 1 Break up or disunite every articulation of the bones one from the other. 2 a b are the two lateral movements of the toes. 3 Make a note of what use is each prominence of the inferior side of the basilar bone; and also each perforation; and into how many parts it is divided. 4 Note what service the rounded prominences a b c render; and also all the other shapes of the bones. 5 The pieces of bone of which the foot of man is composed are twenty-seven, taking into account of those two which are under the head of the great toe of the foot [the two sesamoid bones]. 6 a b are the muscles under the chin.
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The uterus of a gravid cow 1
with the animal which is born has none of these fleshy roses.
The uterus of the cow
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The ovaries are not attached to this veined part but to its coat [peritoneum] which does not show veins. And the former together with the latter’s coat comprises the true uterus.
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Just as the fingers of the hand are interwoven, the one in the space between the others held straight opposite, so the fleshy threads of these cotyledons are interwoven, like burrs, one half with the other.
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These four vessels, a b c d, are two arteries and two with blood [veins], and they are those which carry the menses to the uterus; and they are enclosed between the first membrane of the uterus [peritoneal coat] and this, which is the second, [uterine wall] and the ovaries are attached to the first.
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How the little sponges [cotyledons], which join together the membranes from the middle to the two ends, proceed to separate one half from the other; and one half of them goes with the infant when it is born in its caul, that is that which is below and the other half, which lies above, remains in the uterus. Through these distributed six to six and the uterus contracting, all the little fleshy sponges are brought to touch one another with their sides, finally being joined together to become the sides of a hexagon, and in so far as they are united they form one piece of flesh. This is then divided and scattered again with the following impregnation.
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This [figure] below contains the third and fourth cast-off membranes [chorion and amnion] of the animal enclosed in the uterus. These cast membranes are united, that is they are in contact with each other, and that one which is above [most superficial] is united with this [uterus] through the fleshy rosettes [cotyledons] which interlock and stick together as burrs do with each other. And at birth the infant carries with it these two coats with half the thickness of these roses [cotyledons] and the other half remains in with their sides attached to one another in such a way that they would never appear to have been separated. And the cast-off membrane in contact
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Note which part of the little sponge [cotyledon] is that which with its teeth enters into the other part.
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The way in which the rosettes of little sponges [cotyledons] of the uterus are united when it is contracted after birth.
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Studies of the move ment of the lips 1
The motor muscles of the lips of arises from the last molar tooth in the mouth. These in their pulling are the mouth of such power that holding the teeth 2 Here the lips are made of somewhat apart they will pull the muscles moving the lateral muscles lips of the mouth inside the teeth, with themselves. And then the lateral as is demonstrated in the mouth g h muscles move the lips. being drawn by the muscle r at its sides [buccinator]. 3 First take note of the bones of the face, in what part they arise, 8 Which muscles are those which and whence come the sinews which narrow the lips of the mouth. The first open and then close the lips of muscles which narrow the mouth the mouth, and where the muscles along its width, as shown above, are penetrated by these sinews are the lips themselves which draw the attached. sides of the mouth towards its centre. This is shown us by the fourth of 4 The sinew n m [frenulum] of the this, which states: the skin which lower lip and the sinew o p of the forms the covering of muscles which upper lip [frenulum] are the cause pull always directs its wrinkles to of the mouth closing with the aid of the place where the cause of the the muscles of which the lips of the movement is. And by the fifth: no mouth are composed. muscle uses its power in pushing but always in pulling towards itself 5 Uterus of the cow the parts joined to it. Therefore the centre of the muscles called lips of 6 The ultimate shortening of the mouth pulls towards itself the the mouth is made equal to half its ends of the mouth with part of the greatest extension and it is equal cheeks, and through this the mouth to the greatest width of the nostrils in such action is always full of of the nose, and to the interval wrinkles. interposed between the lachrymal ducts of the eyes.
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The muscles called lips of the mouth in narrowing themselves towards their centre pull behind them the lateral muscles; and when the lateral muscles pull, so shortening themselves, then they pull behind them the lips of the mouth and so the mouth is extended, etc.
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Of the sinews which close the lips tight. There are two movements which make the lips close tight, one of which is that which closes and tightens one lip against the other; the second movement is that which narrows or shortens the length of the mouth. But that [muscle] which tightens one lip against the other
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