Reproduction Index Glossary

Leonardo's Error


Leonardo da Vinci's famous sketch of a human fetus in the uterus, shown below, is intriguing because he clearly gave it a cotyledonary placenta as is seen in ruminants. The reason for this mistake is not known, but the level of detail presented indicates that he was very familiar with the ruminant placenta.


Index of: Implantation and Development of the Placenta

Last updated on February 16, 2000
Author: R. Bowen
Send comments via form or email to rbowen@colostate.edu