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Anatomy Drawing

Role in Scientific Revolution

Vesalius's contributions were more valid than Galen's

"There is no occasion for making things up, since we are certain that Galen was deluded by his dissection of ox brains and described the cerebral vessels, not of a human but of oxen." -Andreas Vaselius

Discoveries and New Revelations​

  • Studied anatomy and was considered a “founding father”

  • Was also a professor of anatomy and a physician

  • He disproved many of Galen’s original theories on human anatomy including that humans and apes have the same anatomy, as proven by the observation that apes have 7 parts in their sternum and humans only have 3

  • Also, that men and women have an equal number of ribs, unlike what Galen said, which was men had one less rib

  • 1543- published De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem (“On the Fabric of the human body in seven books”) the same year Copernicus published his book

  • It contained very intricate drawings detailing the human body at different natural position with or without skin and or muscle

  • Woodcuts were used so that accuracy could be maintained throughout the printing reproduction (wouldn’t have spread without printing press)

  • 1538- published Tabulae Anatomicae Sex

  •  Which detailed a very accurate depiction of human organs

  • Studying organs was actually prohibited until to 1482

  • Vesalius always the viewed the body as an integrated whole

  • Although he revolutionized anatomy it is important to note that Vesalius was still connected to religion and theology

  •  Vesalius believed that to understand the body’s purpose an anatomist must understand the body as created by a divine craftsman

  • He introduced the method of public dissection which was widely frowned upon

  • The main thing he revolutionized was bringing observation and the study of actual human bodies to the field of anatomy, rather than taking previous authorities’ work as “law”

  • He also presented his information uniquely, in a way that the drawings were more a piece of art rather than just a scientific drawing, making popularity among public greater than just a scientific article

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A page from Vesalius' book.

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Vesalius dissecting a female cadaver.

  • He went against religious authority and although he was initially a supporter of Galen, a Greek physician, he later went against Galen’s teachings which were the main authority on anatomy

  • Was harassed because his drawings were seen a provocative

  • Publicly discredited by those physicians who were very conservative and on a daily basis attacked for his work

Struggles in Revolution

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Galen dissecting a pig.

Who he Inspired

  • Emperor Charles V was impressed by his book and made him the imperial physician at his court

  • When the Emperor abdicated his son Philip II gave Vesalius a pension and title

  • Fallopio was his successor at Padua University as a professor, continued Vesalius’ work and discovered the Fallopian tubes; however he didn’t know the function

  • Girolamo Fabrizio succeeded Fallopio and he discovered the valves in veins, but also didn’t know the function

  • Vesalius’ work also influenced William Harvey, who discovered that the heart works as a pump

  • He also had an influence on Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution

  • William Harvey conducting an experiment to prove his theory of blood circulation

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William Harvey doing an experiment to demonstrate his theory about the heart.

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