Japanese medical scroll

horizontal scroll (9120 x 260mm.), manuscript on Japanese mulberry paper with 46 coloured drawings, manuscript text in Chinese (and occasionally Japanese), around a wooden spindle, a few small wormholes

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

An account of the autopsy performed on a woman, carried out by an outcast under the supervision of one or more physicians. The text describes all the major organs of the body, and the final illustration shows a foetus with its umbilical cord, which may have been the cause of the woman's death. At the end is an account in Japanese of a physician's recollection of the autopsy.

As in medieval Europe, autopsies were forbidden by both Buddhism and Confucianism, and the first authorised human dissection took place in Japan in 1754. The influx of western medical ideas that were brought over with the Dutch resulted in many autopsies after that date, including the one recorded in this scroll.