Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine 2008-0387 18 0 2025 12 21 1631 1631 Tannaz Bagheri MD, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Ali Mirjalili Associate Professor, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Anatomy and Medical Imaging, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. Hamidreza Namazi Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Ethics, School of Medicine, Medical Ethics and History of Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 2025 10 07 2025 11 22 This study examines the collaboration between art and science in the history of modern anatomy education in Iran, particularly in the era following the establishment of Dār al-Funūn (1851). Using a historical-analytical approach and citation network analysis of primary sources, we trace the evolution of anatomical illustration from imitation of European texts to original creation. Our findings highlight the pivotal role of European physicians, such as Jakob Eduard Polak, in introducing modern anatomy and visual aids at Dār al-Funūn. We identify the publication of Kālbod-Shenāsi-ye Towṣifi (Descriptive Anatomy, 1944–1950 CE) as a key milestone, marking the first major physician-artist collaboration to produce original anatomical illustrations in Iran. However, the subsequent increase in reliance on foreign resources led to a decline in indigenous production, thereby representing a missed opportunity to preserve a unique scientific-artistic heritage in medical illustration in Iran. Ultimately, this trajectory reveals that, unlike the European Renaissance, where the mutual interest of physicians and artists in understanding human anatomy drove innovation, medical illustration in Iran was primarily propelled by physicians to meet educational needs. https://jmehm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jmehm/article/view/1631 https://jmehm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jmehm/article/download/1631/484