Before Vesalius in the early 16th century, knowledge of human anatomy was based essentially on guesswork. Medical students learned human anatomy not by studying bodies and dissecting them, but by reading the works of the Roman physician Galen (AD129-c. 216), considered a great authority at that time. Aristotle was the other forerunner of Vesalius.
Dissection Challenge from Vesalius
One of the problems before Vesalius was the taboo on dissecting human bodies. A 14th century Bolognese doctor called Mondino DeLuzzi was one of the first to carry out a dissection. Vesalius broke two taboos. First, he challenged the more than a thousand year old authority of Galen, and second, he actually dissected human bodies, looking at real anatomy closely, and encouraged his students to do the same. The anatomical knowledge he gained was put into his great book Fabrica, which laid the foundations of modern medicine.
Early Life of Vesalius
Andreas Vesalius (December 31, 1514 – October 15, 1564) was born into a Flemish family in Brussels, Belgium. His father was a court official in the service of the Holy Roman Emperor, and so was his grandfather. It was his ambition to emulate them.
As a teenager, he began medical studies at Louvain University in Brussels, and his desire to study anatomy was already evident. At 16, he was stealing corpses for dissection in the middle of the night. In 1533, when he went to study in Paris, his pursuit was even gruesome, as he scoured graveyards of fresh bodies and sometimes secretly dissected them in his room to avoid attention.
Despite his appalling pursuit, his anatomical knowledge paid off. In Paris, his skill came to the attention of University professors Jacob Sylvius and John Guinter, the two greatest anatomists in Europe. Aged 23, Vesalius was made head of the Department of Surgery and anatomy of the University of Padua in Italy, which was then the most prestigious medical school in the world.
Vesalius in Padua, Italy
Unlike Galen, Vesalius opted to perform the dissection himself while describing to his students exactly what he was uncovering and discovering.
In 1538, Vesalius got an artist, John Stephanus of Calcar, to draw versions of six of the charts he had sketched for his students. Published as Tabulae anatomicae sex (Six anatomical charts), three of these charts showed views of the human skeleton, while the other three showed the portal vein near the heart, the heart and all the body's veins, and the heart and all the arteries.
The Tabulae was an instant hit and Vesalius's reputation as an anatomist began to grow. For four years, he embarked on a huge project to create a comprehensive and accurate guide to human anatomy based on dissections, and worked with a brilliant team of artists. After everything was prepared, he sent the manuscript in Basel to John Oporinus, a distinguished professor and printer, with Vesalius's orders to use the finest paper and best typography.
Aged 29, De humani corporis fabrica, libri septem (in seven volumes) was finished, and he sent a magnificent purple silk-bound presentation copy to Emperor Charles V, complete with over 200 fabulous hand-coloured illustrations. The Emperor was so impressed that within a few months, he invited Vesalius to become Charles's personal physician.
The Royal Physician Gives up Academic Career
In less than a year, Vesalius abandoned his academic career entirely. Having achieved his ambition to become a court official, he settled down to a distinguished but conservative career, marrying a Brussels girl, Anne van Hamme. The couple had a child, also named Anne.
Vesalius became a highly distinguished physician respected across Europe. He was summoned by royalties to help court physicians, including Henry II of France and Don Carlos, the Crown Prince of Spain.
Final Years
In 1564, Vesalius set out on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land for unknown reasons. He never returned, dying on the ship on his way home from Jerusalem.
Sources:
Chambers Biographical Dictionary, edited by Una McGovern, Chambers, 2002
Farndon, John, etal. The Great Scientists: Capella / Arcturus, 2005
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