Vesalius

Portrait of Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564) at age twenty-eight years. C.D. O'Malley, who wrote the definitive biography of Vesalius, credits this image as the only authentic portrait of Vesalius, from Vesalius's Fabrica. Source: James Moores Ball.

Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564),      a Belgian (Flemish) Renaissance physician/surgeon, anatomist and physiologist, revolutionized the study of human anatomy and, as a consequence, the practice of medicine. He accomplished that feat in virtue of the results of his dissections of human cadavers never previously performed with the quality of Vesalius's extraordinary meticulous systematic detail and eloquent extensive documentation; in virtue of the fluent writing [in Latin] of lucid descriptions of his anatomical and physiological findings precisely integrated with the accompanying illustrations; and, in virtue of having his anatomical findings exquisitely illustrated by his artist collaborators, notably Jan Stephan van Calcar, a protégé of the great Italian artist, Titian.  

In 1543, at the age of 29 years, Vesalius published De Humani Corporis Fabrica (On the Workings of the Human Body.) — generally referred to as the Fabrica — a work of many years of observations and illustrations of human dissections that not only laid the foundation for a realistic human anatomy but also demonstrated numerous errors in the anatomical assertions of the self-proclaimed heir of Hippocrates (460-360 BCE), Galen (129-216 CE) of Pergamum, the Greek physician/surgeon who based his description of human anatomy on extrapolations of dissections of animals and observations of the wounds of gladiators in Rome and Pergamum. Vesalius's contemporaries, having unquestionably accepted Galen's conclusions about human anatomy, found themselves in turmoil, stunned and even outraged at what eventuated as one of the most important contributions to the evolution of biology and medicine. In his book on the evolution of medicine, Sir William Osler considered it "....one of the great books of the world", asserting as follows:

The worth of a book, as of a man, must be judged by results, and, so judged, the "Fabrica" is one of the great books of the world, and would come in any century of volumes which embraced the richest harvest of the human mind. In medicine, it represents the full flower of the Renaissance. As a book it is a sumptuous tome—a worthy setting of his jewel—paper, type and illustration to match...the chef d'œuvre of any medical library.

"Medicine's intertwining with science began when physicians finally realized that universalizing, all-explaining theories about human biology served only to foster the misinterpretation of observed phenomena. Until then, a conflict between what was actually experienced and what the grand conceptual scheme told a physician he should be experiencing was always resolved in favor of the latter." —Sherwin B. Nuland

The year that saw publication of the Fabrica, 1543, also saw publication of Nicholas Copernicus's (1473-1543) De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi (Six Books Concerning the Revolutions of the Heavenly Orbs) — the two books published a week apart. A memorable year, and a memorable pair of scholars who jump-started two revolutions, one on interpretations of the structure and function of the human body, the other on interpretations of the structure and movements of the earth and the sun. Those revolutions challenged ancient wisdom that had dominated thinking in medicine and astronomy. These new ideas met with strong opposition from the church of the time, although they represent an anno mirabile in the history of science.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine offers an online reproduction of the Fabrica, prepared in such a way that the reader can turn the pages, pause on any page to zoom on any section, read explanatory commentaries, and print pages.

Chronology of Vesalius's life

Vesalius entered the world in Brussels, Belgium, late on the last day of 1514 or early on the first day of 1515, the newest member of a wealthy family of many generations of physicians. His father served as apothecary — preparer and dispenser of medications — in the royal court (Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (1500-1558)). Father's duties apparently forced leaving the upbringing of Vesalius and his two brothers and a sister to the mother. Vesalius had access to his family's library of books. As a child Vesalius often visited a nearby site (Gallows Hill) where the authorities left criminals hanging until they rotted. Vesalius thus could begin to teach himself aspects of human anatomy at an early age. He continued to satisfy his curiosity of anatomy with the dissection of small animals, concentrating on both structure and function at a macroscopic level — the microscope not invented until after Vesalius's death.

At age 15, Vesalius began studying at the University of Louvain, where he learned, between 1530 and 1533, the subjects of rhetoric, logic, philosophy, and Latin. The University of Louvain stressed the Latin of the ancient Romans and attempted to inculcate a high degree of literary skill in reading and writing.

After Louvain, Vesalius moved to study at the most prestigious center of medical science at the time, the University of Paris, attending from 1533 to 1536. As little information has emerged of Vesalius's activities during those three years, his biographer, C. D. O'Malley, offers an educated argument from information on the workings of medical education at that time there. Near concluding, he writes:

It would be incorrect to liken the Vesalius of Paris to the later author of the Fabrica, and it is important to remember that although Vesalius in Paris may have been extraordinarily inquisitive, and he had acquired unusual skill in the technique of dissection, his vision was still considerably clouded by Galenism if, indeed, he was not a completely devoted Galenist.

Subsequently Vesalius moved to Italy, to the central hub of Renaissance culture and learning, Padua, where at the University there he quickly earned his medical degree (1537) and soon after a professorship in anatomy.

Timeline

This image show the timeline of Vesalius's life in relation to that of William Harvey, who advanced physiology as Vesalius did anatomy, and Marcello Malpighi, who completed the circuit of Harvey's circulation of the blood by his discovery of the capillaries.

(CC) Image: Anthony Sebastian (adapted from data from Wolfram Alpha)

Vesalius's work

In his lectures on the history of medicine, physician/surgeon and Yale Professor Sherwin B. Nuland emphasizes the following in respect of Vesalius and his work:

A.  Fabrica has been interpreted to mean not just "structure" but "workings." Vesalius was as interested in the functions of the human body as he was in the anatomy itself.

B.  Published in 1543, Fabrica gave the world its first accurate knowledge of anatomy and a method by which it could be studied.

C.  Vesalius provided directions by which anyone with appropriate instruments and access to cadavers could perform dissections.

D.  Vesalius' s book began the process of debunking Galen, though this would take centuries. Nuland writes:

By exposing Galen's errors and adding many new findings, this book clarified the understanding of anatomy and function in ways never previously imagined and began to loosen the ancient icon's stifling hold on medical thought. Being both contentious and aggressively ambitious, Vesalius did not shrink from attacking Galenic theory at every opportunity, which earned him as many enemies as disciples, subverted his career, and eventually resulted in his ignominious death.

E.  Although Vesalius' s text brought about the change, the work of its artist, Jan van Calcar, a protege of Titian, is what is most commented on today.

F.  The story of this book and of Vesalius himself is also the story of a series of events representative of the Renaissance, including:

1.  A return to interest in the human body;

2.  A return to Greek learning

G.  The rise of the universities, which were the focus of Renaissance thought.

References cited in text

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Notes

Annotations to several of the references cited in the text are contained in this 'Notes' section.