Figuring Things Out: Visualization in the Work of Swedish Anatomists Anders and Gustaf Retzius, 1829-1921.

Swedish anatomists Anders and Gustaf Retzius, father and son, collaborated with artists, photographers, and printers to produce image plates for their many publications in normal, comparative, morbid, and microscopic anatomy. This article explores the role of images in their oeuvres, identifying impacts of changing scientific ideals, aesthetic sensibilities, and technologies of observation and visualization. It examines how the Retziuses mobilized historically contingent concepts of truth and beauty to support claims to authority. Anders Retzius, influenced by post-Kantian philosophy, viewed truth and beauty as inherent in natural phenomena, independent of the researcher. Scientific authority rested on abilities to observe and convey the truth and beauty of examined specimens, preferably aided by a skilled artist. For Gustaf Retzius, epistemic authority depended on his expertise as scientist, publisher, and illustrator of his own works. Like Santiago Ramón y Cajal he favored an “anti-aesthetic” style, while at the same time publishing sumptuous image plates.