Zodiac Man

The Zodiac Man, also known as Homo signorum, meaning “Man of Signs”, is an illustration commonly found in medical and astrological texts and calendars It shows which parts of the body are related to the twelve signs of the zodiac,^[1][2] a “hallmark” of astrological medicineAstrological medicine is based on the notion that if plants or seeds are to be used for medicinal purposes then their planting and collection must be carried out with regard to the positions of the planets and other heavenly bodies, which are at the heart of the disease process. .^[3]

Phlebotomy, or bloodletting, was one of the most common procedures in early modern medicine, and physicians used the Zodiac Man to determine the best times to bleed certain parts of the body. The position of the Moon in particular was crucial. It was believed that if it was not in the zodiacal sign corresponding to the body part being bled, the procedure was so dangerous that it could result in the patient’s death; “neither knife nor medication may be applied to the afflicted member if the Moon is in the sign governing said organ”.^[3]

The idea that different body parts are related to the signs of the zodiac dates back to late Babylonian times, the 6th century BCE,^[2] but the illustration of the Zodiac Man is first documented in the 11th century.^[3]

Table of correspondences

The association of body parts with the signs of the zodiac remained relatively consistent during antiquity and into the medieval period. The primary associations shown here are both the oldest and the most common.^[2][4]