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. 1999 Dec 18;319(7225):0.

MRI proves that Leonardo da Vinci got sexual anatomy wrong

PMCID: PMC1127073

Ever since Leonardo da Vinci drew the anatomy of human copulation, anatomists have wondered how male and female genitals interact. Schultz et al solved the issue by performing magnetic resonance imaging on couples during intercourse (p 1596). During intercourse in the “missionary position” the penis is not straight, as drawn by da Vinci, nor S shaped, as envisaged by Dickinson, but boomerang shaped. During arousal the female uterus was raised and the anterior vaginal wall lengthened but, contrary to the findings of Masters and Johnson, the uterus was not enlarged.


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