Anatomical Charts you Won't Find at the Doctors Office

Say goodbye to boring anatomical charts and hello to the quirky anatomical charts of Tom Giesler.Whether he’s pulling down his pants, stripping off his skin, or taking apart his head, the unique ways in which Tom reveals his anatomy is what makes these charts so entertaining. Tom infuses humor into every little detail.  He even makes up his own anatomical terminology—trans-luminutive confluisis, tricepticle, juggler vein—which upon first glance sound almost convincing.So who is this Tom Giesler?  Is he a medical illustrator trying to take down the establishment of the standard anatomical chart?  Or is he simply trying to show off his anatomy?  I decided to contact Tom and find out more about the man behind—and in—the charts.  And here’s what I found out:He’s not a medical illustrator, but is a self-trained illustrator and painter.  He found his niche as a patent illustrator while working for a medical device company about 13 years ago.  Most of his current clients are medical device companies in the San Francisco bay area.He says, “my Anatomical series was fun but took me out of my comfort zone of hard, flat mechanical shapes that I had figured out how to paint.”As for the inspiration behind the anatomical charts:

“Over the years I’ve collected a lot of medical anatomy books. They’ve sort of pleasure reading for me. I’ve been trying to figure out a way of expressing my excitement about anatomy and finally decided the most direct way was to simply show “my stuff” to the world.My goal was to,A) keep it personalB) keep it upbeat (I admit a few of these strayed from that goal)C) have each chart makes sense in it’s own context, no matter how absurd the premise.”

I think he’s succeeding in all three goals!Take a look at Tom’s portfolio site for more fascinating anatomical chart designs! [spotted by the awesome medical illustrator Megan]