gross anatomy

My friend Sarah is just about the most delightfully inappropriate person I know. She named her cat Merkin and will gleefully explain the meaning and etymology of the word, complete with a Shakespearean quote and 30 Rock reference, to anyone who asks. 

I will not. If you don't know, well, JFGI.  (btw, this image will make sense in a minute.) 

Half the time we hang out I just sit there and laugh until my cheeks and stomach hurt as she tells one absurd and hilarious story after another.  This makes her a good friend to spend time with, so we hung out the other night.

She's quite a scrounger (just this side of a hoarder, really, but in a good way), so she also has a whole bunch of cool shit. Including a collection of amazing early 20th century anatomy books and sex encyclopedias.

The most amazing thing about them, aside from the advice they offer on how to conceive a child the sex of your choice (homemade roofies and exercise), opinions on what a woman is "supposed" to enjoy in bed, and what causes "frigidity" and lesbianism (Our Bodies, Ourselves, they ain't), is the illustrations.

Not sure if Edward Tufte would approve, but I love them.

Women as flowers is a big theme... the sad/happy flowers in the corners of these 4 crack me up.

But I think the menstrual cycle as constellation/space ship is my favorite.

top three illustrations are from the 1901 Home Encyclopedia of Health, and the others are from the 1950 edition of The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Sex.  (sorry the photos are kinda crappy. I only had my phone.)