Zodiac Man

'The Zodiac Man' a diagram of a human body and astrological symbols from a 15th-century Welsh manuscript
Man surrounded by signs of the zodiac, lines pointing to different body parts and organs
Zodiacal man from a woodcut in a 1702 almanac.
19th-century Zodiac Man from Persia

Sometimes depicted in writings and drawings from ancient classical, medieval, and modern times, the Zodiac Man (Homo Signorum or "Man of Signs") represents a roughly consistent correlation of zodiacal names with body parts.

The Zodiac Man appeared most frequently in calendars, devotional Books of Hours, and treatises on philosophy, astrology, and medicine in the medieval era.

Before the emergence of scientific empiricism in the 17th century, medieval physicians looked to the skies for guidance. Having observed that the overhead moon brought high tides, they theorized the dangers of letting blood from a body part whose zodiacal sign was occupied by the moon since a tide of blood might gush out uncontrollably.[1]

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