Body Parts by Sign
Body parts by sign is the classical anatomical sequence usually called melothesia or homo signorum. The local source base supports it directly. Morris says these anatomical assignments are used for both houses and signs in medical astrology, and he gives the standard table from Aries at the head down to Pisces at the feet. (Morris, Cycles in Medical Astrology, Traditional Anatomical Assignments)
The standard sequence
Morris's table gives the following order:
- Aries: head
- Taurus: throat
- Gemini: arms, sternum, and chest
- Cancer: chest sides, breast, and stomach
- Leo: stomach and small intestines
- Virgo: umbilical region and pelvis
- Libra: kidneys
- Scorpio: generative and eliminative organs
- Sagittarius: thighs
- Capricorn: knees
- Aquarius: legs and calves
- Pisces: feet
This is the simplest and clearest local statement of the doctrine, and it is enough to ground the page without borrowing unsupported summaries from elsewhere.
Why the sequence matters
Melothesia gives medical astrology a map of bodily location. If a sign is emphasized through the Ascendant, Moon, ruler, or house concentration, the astrologer has one more way to ask where a pattern is landing. It does not diagnose by itself, but it helps localize concern.
Morris also treats this mapping as part of a broader microcosm-macrocosm logic. The chart can be placed over the body, and the signs provide a way of reading bodily regions through the zodiacal order.
Signs and houses together
One of the most useful local details is Morris's remark that these anatomical assignments are the same for houses and signs in medical astrology. That is why the page belongs next to Medical Houses rather than standing alone. A problem can be read through the sign of a body region, the house emphasis, and the planets involved.
A restrained use of the doctrine
The local source does not encourage simplistic one-to-one reading. If a problem involves Virgo, for example, that does not mean every Virgo emphasis must become a pelvic issue. The anatomical map is a structural aid. It works best when combined with:
- Sign Humors
- Planetary Body Parts
- symptoms and context in the actual chart
That keeps the page useful without overclaiming.