Vesalius wrote what is considered to be one of the most important books in the history of medicine, The Fabric of the Human Body (1543). It was a complete map of the human body, complete with life like illustrations. It showed many of Galen’s ideas to be wrong, and soon Vesalius’ view of anatomy (the study of the structure of the body) became accepted by doctors and surgeons.

1.  What is anatomy?

2.  Why was Vesalius’ Fabric of the Human Body so important?

Andreas Vesalius was born in Brussels in 1514. His great grandfather and grandfather had been doctors and his father an apothecary (chemist). Vesalius studied medicine at several European universities, and soon gained a reputation as a good anatomist, gaining a good knowledge of the structure of the body by examining skeletons.

3.  When and where was Andreas Vesalius born?

4.  How could his family background have influenced his decision to study medicine?

5.  In which area of medicine did Vesalius excel?

The Church now allowed human dissection, but did not allow bodies to be boiled up to produce skeletons. Vesalius desperately wanted to examine the human skeleton. The only way he could do this was to wait until the bodies of hung criminals had decomposed on the gallows. When the bones were bare he would remove the bodies and smuggle them back into town to study them.

6.  What was the Church’s position on dissection at this time?

7.  How did Veslius secure human skeletons for study?

Vesalius was so successful that he became Professor of Surgery (responsible for teaching anatomy) at Padua University when he was just 23. At this time, the Catholic Church said that the works of Galen were inspired by God. So, in the universities of Europe, anatomy was taught by professors who simply read aloud from Galen’s books. If dissections took place they were usually carried out by Barber Surgeons who had no medical qualifications and who were not allowed to question the word of Galen. In contrast, Vesalius gave lectures in which he carried out dissections in front of his students, explaining his own theories and not relying on those of Galen. Hundreds came to watch each lecture. He also encouraged his students to examine the human body for themselves.

8.  What happened to Vesalius when he was 23? Why would this have been so important in the development of Vesalius’ ideas?

9.  What was the Churches position on the Works of Galen?

10.  How was anatomy taught within most universities during the Renaissance?

11.  How did Vesalius teach anatomy? How was this so different from the method described in the answer you gave to question 10?

Vesalius also believed that accurate illustartions of various parts of the body would help his students to understand anatomy (the structure of the body) and physiology (what each part of the body works and functions) that much more quickly and effectively. These illustrations were carefully labelled and explained. Many doctors at the time opposed this idea, saying it was unscientific. Vesalius ignored them and in 1538 he published Tabulae Sex, a set of drawings (6 sheets) that accurately illustrated parts of the human body, as well as animal anatomy. Vesalius, by showing parts of the human body, the liver for example, highlighted the fact that Galen’s descriptions of the human body had often been incorrect.

12.  What was the attitude of most doctors towards the use of art within medical texts?

13.  What did Vesalius publish in 1538? Why do you think that this text was so controversial at that time?

In 1543, his masterpiece, The Fabric of the Human Body, was published. It was a very detailed study of anatomy, illustrated throughout by some of the most accomplished artists of the Renaissance. It was based on knowledge gained from human dissections. It provided a complete map of the human body. It showed for the first time how nerves are connected to muscles, how bones are nourished, and the complex structure of the brain. Vesalius corrected some of Galen’s errors, such as the idea that humans had the same number of bones in the spine as monkeys, and that the human jaw is made up of two bones when in fact there is only one.

14.  What did Vesalius do in 1543?

15.  How did The Fabric of the Human Body lead to a greater understanding of the function and structure of the human body? How would this help doctors and surgeons?

Due to the invention of the printing press, The Fabric of the Human Body was quickly distributed across Europe. Other books on anatomy were soon seen by many as being inferior. However, the study of anatomy did not change overnight. Many anatomists opposed Vesalius, partly because he was young and dared to challenge some of Galen’s descriptions and ideas. However, Vesalius’ method of dissection proved to be an efficient way of helping the study of the body to progress over time. The tutor was fully involved in the process and the students were encouraged to comment. The body was recorded using accurate illustrations and explained using effective labelling techniques and the printing press spread these ideas across Europe and eventually beyond.

Factors helping Vesalius to succeed

16.  Join up the correct heads and tails to show the factors that helped Vesalius to succeed.

Heads / Tails
Religion / Vesalius could see Galen’s errors and was prepared to challenge accepted views. He was brave enough to steal skeletons for study and ignored those who criticised and opposed his work.
Dissection / The move towards lifelike drawings helped create the art which brought Vesalius’s work to life and showed exactly what he meant.
The role of the individual / The power of the Church was weakening, so it could no longer force everyone to accept its ideas, eg that Galen was inspired by God, so his work was perfect.
Renaissance art / This was now allowed, although it was more difficult to get hold of skeletons.
Technology / Vesalius encouraged his students to dissect bodies themselves. This is a good example of the Renaissance idea of an enquiring attitude.
An enquiring attitude / The invention of the printing press helped ensure that The Fabric of the Human Body was quickly distributed, and soon became the basis for the study of anatomy across Europe.