Anatomy is the guide and key to (the art of) medicine.
Explanation:
'Medicina' is impossible grammatically, since 'anatomia' is clearly the predicate nominative of 'est', as is shown by its form (3rd sing. pres. indicative). Most likely 'medicinae' (gen. or dat. sing.) is meant. If genitive, as I suggested in agreeing with one of the other translators, then it is predicative. A less likely possibility is that 'medicinae' is an instance of a not uncommon dative construction wherein, in conjunction with the copula or a copulative ver, it functions as a virtual indirect object (cf., e.g., Livy, 2.30, 'is finis populationibus fuit' for 'is finem populationum fecit.'). But although I translate 'medicinae' as if it were an indirect object, as sounding more natural in English, it seems to be a predicate genitive.
'Calvus' is used in the concrete sense, by senecdoche, of 'helm, rudder' by the poets as early as Ennius, e.g, 'ut clavum rectum teneam' (Annales, 5.472 Vahlen; cf. Virgil, Aeneid, 5.177), but in classical prose (e.g., Cicero, pro Sestio, 9.20, 'clavum tanti imperii tenere' , Quntilian, Institutio Oratoria, 2.17.24, 'dum clavum rectum teneam, etc'.) it is employed metaphorically, as here in the sense of 'guide'. The abstract metaphorical use of 'clavis' is quite late, however.
| Joseph Brazauskas
United States
Local time: 04:06
Native speaker of:  English, Spanish
PRO pts in category: 16
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peer agreement (net): +2