Yōkai Daizukai is an illustrated guide to yōkai authored by manga artist Shigeru Mizuki. [more inside]
posted by brundlefly on Oct 25, 2009 - 15 comments

In honor of the 5th season premiere of Grey's Anatomy on ABC:

Boobicon.Me let's you make very pink "Obamacon-styled" avatars in support of a breast cancer non-profit org called the "Feel Your Boobies Foundation" (Gallery inevitably contains NSFW images).

Accidental Dong is a single-topic blog, and the topic is things that look like penises (via Inquisitr, which perfectly calls it "a blog of dicks"). NSFAnyoneNoticingResemblances

And for your non-prurient anatomical interest, here are Weird Al's Brain (as seen at various county fairs) and his Pancreas.
posted by wendell on Sep 24, 2009 - 32 comments

An Artist's Guide to Human Types "If I needed to draw someone from [a] specific part of the world, what would I need to know about his or her physical characteristics?" The author, a well-traveled Lebanese artist, also has a graphic novel online.
posted by desjardins on May 8, 2009 - 70 comments

Gather 'Round the Cadaver! : A new "coffee-table" book, Dissection: Photographs of a Rite of Passage in American Medicine is a new collection of photographs documenting what happened when bored medical students of the early 1900s met the camera.
posted by grapefruitmoon on Apr 29, 2009 - 22 comments

A short history of anatomical maps provides an overview of the evolution of anatomical knowledge and the visual documentation that accompanied it.
posted by zeoslap on Dec 23, 2008 - 11 comments

Watch the skull “explode” and reconstruct! Zoom and spin the torso to expose a little or reveal everything! Get a grasp of the inner workings of the human shoulder! Get inside this head! Interactive three dimensional views of various anatomical structures.
posted by flapjax at midnite on Dec 11, 2008 - 14 comments

GetBodySmart.com is a wonderful and remarkably complete resource to learn about the systems that keep our body running, including the skeletal , nervous and even urinary systems. What's more amazing is that it's all created by one man in his spare time and for no gain of his own. Read his mission statement here.
posted by ignorantguru on Sep 17, 2008 - 19 comments

Get your learn on. 180+ ways of investigating the human brain = hours of fun for the whole family. Thanks to an innocuous question by a 5 year old, my entire evening is now being spent investigating and discussing the structure and workings of the human brain. This flash site lets you explore the workings of the brain according to 12 subject areas (each with subtopics which are not included in the "180" count), within each of which are 5 levels of organization from social to molecular, within each of which are three levels of explanation (beginner, intermediate, and advanced.) discovered via Wikipedia.
posted by ThusSpakeZarathustra on Aug 19, 2008 - 10 comments

Overlooked or ignored for far too long by the medical establishment, twisty balloon dog anatomy and gummi bear anatomy are just two of the crucial areas that Moist Production's Jason Freeny is working to bring wider attention to. He's also to be commended for his tireless efforts in raising awareness of Disney character suicide and death by unexplainable circumstance. And there's free downloadable desktops, kids! [1 or 2 of the pages at Moist maybe NSFW] [more inside]
posted by flapjax at midnite on May 29, 2008 - 7 comments

James Mundie is an artist and photographer whose work often includes sideshow themes. He recently returned from Europe having been allowed to photograph a number of anatomy museum exhibits. He has also contributed to a Flickr group entitled “Bottled Babies”, which , in a previous era, were known as “Pickled Punks”. (Probably NSFW)
posted by Tube on May 5, 2008 - 5 comments

Tohoku University's Kano Collection is an unparalleled collection of japanese books from the Edo period. The beautiful and grizzly Kaibou zonshinzu anatomical chart has been making the blogrounds lately but that's only one of the countless treasures the Kano Collection has to offer. Stumbling around near-blindly, like a non-Japanese reader such as myself, with only minimal help from the site, I have come across an amazing variety of beautiful objects, such as this picture book, a scroll with images of animals, city map, map of Japan, battle map, another picture book, the Kaitai shouzu anatomical chart and this picture scroll which has my favorite little scene I've come across in the collection. Whole days could be spent just surfing idly through the Kano Collection.
posted by Kattullus on Apr 28, 2008 - 9 comments

You Walk Wrong. "It took 4 million years of evolution to perfect the human foot. But we’re wrecking it with every step we take." [Via]
posted by homunculus on Apr 22, 2008 - 102 comments

Facial Expression Simulator Apparently it's useful for helping autistics learn facial expressions, among other things. Related.
posted by shivohum on Apr 1, 2008 - 33 comments

How to draw a female in proportion. If you're a cartoonist. If you're a manga artist. If you're a traditional artist. Divine proportions (NSFW) Idealized Proportions (artistic nudity) Historic Proportions.
posted by desjardins on Nov 30, 2007 - 47 comments

The pancreas is a completely crummy organ...... so which parts of the human body could you design better? Interesting article and comments.
posted by Rumple on Nov 3, 2007 - 71 comments

Morbid Anatomy - an excellent blog with a focus on art, medicine, death, and culture. Great viewing anytime, but it might also be a good reference source for any macabre seasonal celebrations!
posted by madamjujujive on Oct 8, 2007 - 5 comments

Historical medicine and health images - there's some fun browsing for aficionados of antique medical technologies, such as orthapedic devices, anatomical illustrations and models, public health materials, and much more. Each image can be enlarged and has explanatory text. (Just a small part of the 30,000+ image database of the wonderful site ingenious, previously brought to our attention by Fat Buddha.)
posted by madamjujujive on Aug 3, 2007 - 5 comments

Beauty is more than skin deep.
posted by mediocrates on Jun 15, 2007 - 28 comments

Fritz Kahn was a German writer & illustrator in the 1920s who specialized in illustrating the physical processes of human bodies as though they were machine powered. Perhaps it's easier to show than describe.
posted by jonson on Jun 13, 2007 - 18 comments

Respect the cock! Or duck, as the case may be. Avian co-evolution in action, from the New York Times.
posted by adamgreenfield on May 1, 2007 - 29 comments

Outstanding collection of 18th century obstetrical models at the Anatomical Museum in Modena, Italy. NSFW, the teratology section at the end is especially gruesome. [via]
posted by bobobox on Mar 15, 2007 - 25 comments

The Vija Celmins of scrotal art (NSFW).
posted by Blazecock Pileon on Feb 19, 2007 - 45 comments

Amamanta Family Dolls offers you a variety of multicultural and educational doll sets that are anatomically correct.
posted by Arcaz Ino on Dec 13, 2006 - 18 comments

Curious about what a college class in Anatomy and Physiology is like? Here's Berkeley's version on Google Video, complete with adorable professor with a great collection of colorful scarfs. via Nurse Sean
posted by dog food sugar on Oct 14, 2006 - 18 comments

Historical anatomy models were a marriage of art and science. From about the 13th to the 19th centuries, exquisite wax models were the state of the art. Florence's La Specola anatomical wax museum houses the works of master artists, such as Ercole Lelli, Anna Morandi, and Clemente Susini. The later years of wax models tended towards the grotesque: moulage and depictions of pathological conditions and physical anomalies. Due to the labor required and delicacy of wax models, papier-mâché became the favored production method in the 19th century, partly due to the ability to dissect the models. Over time, models became more stylized to protect the delicate sensibilities of the public. Today, models are again shocking the public with extreme realism.
posted by madamjujujive on Aug 30, 2006 - 18 comments

A collection of bird skeletons (with 3d rotating skeleton goodness). The site also has tips on cleaning your own, and identifying those you might, uh, stumble across. Comparative pictures and anatomy of orangutan, chimp, marmoset, and lemur skeletons. Will's Skull Site, with close to 100 skulls and details (Cougar!). The California Academy of Sciences site on skulls, including this cool animal-to-skull match tool. Skeleton specimen tutorials from the Vetrinary Museum. The Human Osteology pages. A x-ray anatomy of the human skeleton. The Human Skull module at CalState Chico. And, you know, dragon physiology. And previously, the skeletal systems of cartoon characters.
posted by OmieWise on Mar 29, 2006 - 8 comments

ARTnatomy: Anatomical Basis of Facial Expression Learning Tool. See how all the different muscles in your face work. Flash interface; via Drawn!
posted by Gator on Mar 15, 2006 - 10 comments

Why Homos have big butts, short shouts, and big leg joints: long distance running.
posted by orthogonality on Dec 12, 2005 - 36 comments

Historical Anatomies. Bury the bones under forgotten tomes.
posted by The Jesse Helms on Dec 8, 2005 - 16 comments

A Healthy Heart [possibly slightly NSFW intro] A slick Flash interface with 3D navigation controls, zoomable graphics, video segments, interactive models. From Anatomical Travelogue.
posted by tellurian on Sep 19, 2005 - 8 comments

The artist swallowed a pill-sized camera that photographically auto-documented its journey through his body, taking 65,000 photographs in seven and a half hours. (Alternate link, scroll horizontally.)
posted by crunchland on Jul 1, 2005 - 39 comments

Artificial Anatomy
posted by Gyan on Mar 16, 2005 - 2 comments

Interactive Human Body Rotate, drag, and drop human organs into place. Educational and fun.
posted by ColdChef on Mar 9, 2005 - 16 comments

7 Lightbulbs, 3 Flashlights, and 1 Kangaroo Tumor - A database (of sorts) of objects that have found themselves lodged in rectums. (probably SFW)
posted by mervin_shnegwood on Dec 7, 2004 - 17 comments

Move over, Gray's Anatomy! Children draw the human body.
posted by Robot Johnny on Oct 14, 2004 - 19 comments

Explore your inner beauty. Under our skin, we are all so strange and fragile. Sometimes, we like to frighten ourselves with that fact. Sometimes, we like to turn it into art. No matter how far we advance, the human head and heart will always house awe for our lovely mysteries. (Warning: graphic medical images and animation.)
posted by melissa may on Sep 19, 2004 - 5 comments

Check out the giant cancer fighting colon... of science! "It's part of a national tour to educate people about various types of common and preventable cancers. The 'Check Your Insides Out -- Top to Bottom' tour is full of interactive educational exhibits on colon, lung, oral, breast, prostate and skin cancers."
posted by ilsa on Jun 24, 2004 - 4 comments

skulls
posted by crunchland on Sep 11, 2003 - 8 comments

Visual Human Server .. a virtual anatomy lesson using java.
posted by crunchland on Aug 23, 2003 - 6 comments

The Harvard Brain Atlas has a veritable plethora of images of the brain, whether normal or diseased. Tours, 3-D Java exploration and a [very difficult] quiz are available. Plus: the top 100 brain structures!
posted by goethean on Aug 19, 2003 - 3 comments

" I discovered that by severing a nerve behind the knee, the muscle would atrophy." Plastic surgery is booming in Asia, including some very painful procedures (such as the aforementioned trick to achieve "Western-style" legs.)
posted by Oriole Adams on Aug 13, 2003 - 25 comments

Dissection videos. Dartmouth: Human Anatomy. University of Wisconsin Medical School: Human Anatomy. TissueLink: Liver. University of Michigan: Peritoneum. Palo Alto School District: Sheep's Heart. University of Alberta: Cat; Squalus. American Museum of Natural History: Dogfish Shark. University of Virginia: Frog. Scott Middle School, Fort Knox, Kentucky: Frog; Worm (On the first frog dissection video the teacher tells the students, "He's dead, he won't complain. I promise he won't sue."). University of Kentucky: Esophageal Hiatus. ThinkQuest: Starfish. Carolina Biological Supply: Owl Pellets. Science Man: Television Set. Greg Frederickson: Twist-hinged dissection of an equilateral triangle to a square. More geometric dissections: Geometric dissections on the web.
posted by Mo Nickels on Jul 22, 2003 - 10 comments

A beating heart
Via b3ta.
posted by Mwongozi on Mar 5, 2003 - 29 comments

This news item turned out to be a hoax. Has Reuters been fooled again? I certainly smell a rat... (I know the original mefi link pointed to the BBC, but the BBC picked it up from Reuters)
posted by titboy on Oct 19, 2002 - 10 comments

Momo's parts. All about the different parts of one Japanese man's pet hamster plus illustrations. "I have read that hamster's whiskers shows the width that they can pass through. But Momo forgets. One day Momo tried to go into the cleaner hose. As he has the big hip, he could't go into it. And in his effect to go, he could't get his head out. When I ran to him in a hurry, his head gone out of the hose, and he rolled backward."
posted by moz on May 17, 2002 - 17 comments

Offended academic smashes German doctor's "Plastination" exhibit in London "I decided I would walk into the exhibition with a hammer and smash up the most expensive exhibit to make the point that you cannot turn bodies into commercial exhibits." This exhibit was discussed on March 21.
posted by planetkyoto on Mar 29, 2002 - 29 comments

Controversial corpse exhibit, Körperwelten (Body Worlds), is set to display human corpses in London, UK in two days. UK health department concluded that the exhibit did not breach the 1984 Anatomy Act as the law did not cover the preservation of corpses by means of plastination, a technique invented by Professor Gunther von Hagens, the creator of the exhibit.
posted by frenetic on Mar 21, 2002 - 9 comments

Everybody needs some bodies sometimes. I know these have legitimate medical purposes, but don't you know someone who would love having this guy around the house, with his Multi-Sounds? And think of the fun to be had with Mr. Hurt Head or his friend Patient Peevy. Also fun at parties and not too expensive: A pound of fat, and, uh, this (washable).
posted by argybarg on Jul 9, 2001 - 3 comments

Skinless wonders... "Art or anatomy? An exhibition of flayed corpses in Berlin has been greeted with popular acclaim and moral indignation." They plastinate ("a vacuum process in which biological specimens are impregnated with a reactive polymer") and pose the bodies, which they get from various places, including a Siberian madhouse. The show is coming to Britain.
posted by pracowity on May 20, 2001 - 11 comments

Cool eyeball science Quick summary of interesting research on the output of the eyeball. 3 really cool things: 1, we know much more about the output of the eyeball now than a few years ago; 2, they've got a neural network doing visual processing like the eye; 3, most of what you see your brain makes up!
posted by daver on Mar 28, 2001 - 8 comments