Illustraties NTvG: van houtgravure naar doorzicht

Illustrations of any kind were few and far between in the first volumes of the Journal, founded in 1857. They were mostly woodcuts then later also lithographs which had to be printed and bound separately. Just before 1900 photos began to be printed, but it was only from the 1930s that improvement of techniques meant that better-quality photographs could be printed more easily –although again almost always on separate pages. From the 1950s text and photographs could be printed together and graphic work became rare once more. This changed in the 1990s, when computer graphics made it possible to supplement radiological and histological images with explanatory drawings. Through these the illustrator highlights relevant structures with colour, symbols and captions, without spoiling the original image. One new development - layered images - allows the reader to see ‘through’ organs and discover underlying structures. The next step is interactive anatomy, via the Internet.

Conflict of interest: none declared. Financial support: none declared.