Modesty Flaps

Rubenstein Library’s History of Medicine collection holds a sizable collection of anatomical flap books, which are books with illustrations featuring layers of movable paper flaps that can be lifted to reveal the layers of organs and tissues below. You can see several examples from a 2011 library exhibition here. We often get these books in the lab to correct common problems that can occur with the many layers of paper flaps: typically misfolds, tears, or detached flaps. This early 18th century work by Christoph von Hellwig, commonly known as Anatomicum vivum, came to us recently for some of those problems. During examination, something seemed a little off with the plates at the back.

Judging from the bright white wove paper and print type of the additions, it appears that in the recent past someone had glued in some modesty flaps to cover the anatomical figures. Duke acquired this volume in 2016.

The modesty flaps are supposed to look like a draped piece of cloth – but to me they just look like a cabbage leaf. So at first I thought someone was doing their own cheeky version of the “Fig Leaf Campaign“, a movement to censor classical sculpture that was carried out in the 16th century following the Council of Trent. Looking at images of other copies of the same edition, however, I have found some examples with more contemporary looking modesty flaps and some without any kind of covering flap. So now it is unclear to me how it was originally issued. Further research required.

If you are curious about the different layers in these prints, the Marion J. Siegman Archives at Thomas Jefferson University made some really great videos of a 1744 edition of this same work to demonstrate how the flaps operate. You can watch them here.