India, Feb. 3 -- The mere mention of Leonardo da Vinci evokes genius. We know him as a polymath whose interests spanned astronomy, geology, hydrology, engineering and physics. As a painter, his Mona Lisa and Last Supper are considered works of mastery.

Yet one great achievement that frequently goes unrecognised is his studies of human anatomy. More than 500 years after his death, it's time this changed.

Leonardo is thought to have been born on April 15 1452 in Anchiano, a small hamlet near the town of Vinci, close to Florence. His mother was a 16-year-old peasant girl called Caterina di Meo Lippi and his father was Ser Piero da Vinci, a 26-year-old notary.

Being illegitimate, the young Leonardo was only permitted an elementary educati...