Vesalius

Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564),     a Belgian (Flemish) Renaissance physician/surgeon, anatomist and physiologist, revolutionized the study of biology and the practice of medicine in virtue of the results of his meticulously detailed dissections of human cadavers never previously performed and satisfactorily documented, in virtue of the writing [in Latin] of lucid descriptions of his anatomical and physiological findings, and in virtue of having his anatomical findings exquisitely illustrated by his collaborator, Jan Stephan van Calcar, a protégé of the great Italian artist, Titian.  In 1543, at the age of 29 years, Vesalius published De Humani Corpus Fabrica (On the Workings of the Human Body.) — generally referred to as 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 CE), 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. Having unquestionably accepted Galen's conclusions, as had their predecessors throughout the Medieval era, Vesalius's contemporaries found themselves stunned and 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:

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.

1543, the year Fabrica saw publication, so did Nicholas Copernicus's (1473-1543) De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi (Six Books Concerning the Revolutions of the Heavenly Orbs). A memorable year (and memorable pair of scholars) that 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. Revolutions that challenged ancient wisdom that had dominated thinking in medicine and astronomy. Another anno mirabile' in the history of science.

Chronology of Vesalius's life

Vesalius entered the world of Brussels late on the last day of 1514 or early on the first day of 1515. He joined a wealthy family. 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. Physicians in the family went back generations. 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 learn human anatomy self-taught 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 studied, 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.

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.
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.

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