Andreas Vesalius

Andreas Vesalius was born in 1514, and is best known for his skills in dissection. Vesalius’s ideas and discoveries impacted the medical field, and his contributions became turning points in the study of anatomy. He proved Galen’s old theories wrong, published his new thoughts and findings in De Humani Corporis Libri Septem, and by doing so, introduced new views on teaching anatomy. Considering all of his significant additions to science, Andreas Vesalius is often credited to be the father of modern anatomy.

Claudius Galenus was a Greek physician who lived from 129-216 AD. Although his main research was in the field of physiology, he became famous for his work in anatomy. His teachings were essentially used at all universities when it came to anatomy and medical education during Vesalius’s time. “Even 1000 years after Galen’s death almost no original anatomical inquiries were performed.” (www.bl.uk /learning/artimages/bodies/vesalius /renaissance Accessed on 4/26/14) Galen’s theories were presumed correct, and hardly any new advances were made in anatomy for hundreds of years. Therefore, Galen remained the dominant source for information on the human body.

Vesalius went to school in Paris and the University of Padua, studying medicine, anatomy, and learning from classical Galenic texts. After he graduated, he became a professor and lectured surgery and anatomy at the university. He wanted to become independent from Galen’s educational authority and had the desire to perform his own dissections. However, in the 15th century, acquiring a human corpse wasn’t easy. The church was very strict and didn’t allow human dissections, and if Vesalius were to get a body, it would have to be dissected in the winter. There wasn’t a way to p...

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...cam.ac.uk/ vesalius-great-work Accessed on 4/26/14) This approach is what incited a scientific revolution when it came to how new discoveries were made, and it challenged future generations to find out more about the world around them and correct old theories.

Andreas Vesalius had achieved so much in his life time. He was a brilliant man whose anatomical ideas and theories are still present in the 21st century. Vesalius proved hundred year old teachings to be incorrect, published the influential De Humani Corporis, and forever changed the way discoveries in science are made. Vesalius’s presence is still around, and many medical outbreaks can be linked to his work. His contributions to medicine and anatomy were so vital, that if it wasn’t for him, the human population could’ve been centuries behind in finding the cures and technology to help the people of the world.