The Zodiac Man or Man of Signs (homo signorum in Latin) is an age-old diagram that relates the calendar and the movement of the heavenly bodies to the human body. Sections of the body are labeled with the twelve zodiacal signs, beginning with Aries, which ruled the head, and ending with Pisces associated with the feet. This illustration demonstrates centuries of connections between astrology and human personality, health, sickness, and medical treatments. For example, Leo is associated with the heart because tradition says the strength the lion was located in its heart. Scorpio is associated with the genitals because a scorpion’s strength was located in its tail. While some of these diagrams were accompanied by a basic explanation of the associations between the body and the heavens, most did not, assuming these astrological theories governing health care were widely accepted and understood.
Image courtesy of the British Library Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts.
To learn more about the history of medicine and questionable cures, see Discovering Quacks, Utopias, and Cemeteries