84 HUMAN DISSECTION. ITS DRAMA AND STRUGGLE 



wrote about him, had much to do with the spread of his name. 

 He was a man who apparently could arouse the emotions of people 

 around him in the direction of antipathy. Vesalius accused him 

 of entering the profession for the sole purpose of making money. 

 Historians credit him with being the first in Paris to dissect 

 man. 



Sylvius was born in Louvilly, near Amiens, the son of a 

 weaver. He showed ability in languages early in his educational ca- 

 reer and became interested in the human body through his studies 

 of Galen and Hippocrates. Too poverty stricken to work for a 

 medical degree, he began teaching students about the human body 

 with a great deal of success, as far as numbers were concerned. 

 However, the University of Paris forbade him to carry on this 

 program so he went to Montpellier, where he managed somehow 

 to obtain a medical degree; apparently, he dissected there when 

 he could. When he returned to Paris, he already had established 

 a reputation as a teacher; he reopened his classes at Tregiurer 

 and soon became famous. He attracted students reaching 400 

 to 500 per class. Like his predecessors, he taught anatomy from 

 the chair and saw the structures of the body through the eyes 

 of Galen, whom he idolized and glorified. He subordinated all of 

 his discoveries to him. When forced to admit that some of Galen's 

 statements were obviously incorrect, he supplied a ready answer, 

 namely that the body had changed in its organization during the 

 1400 years since the time of the famous Greek. Nevertheless, he 

 recommended and encouraged dissection as the best way to learn 

 and digest anatomy. 



Among the students who were attracted to the classes of 

 Sylvius, were the following: Vesalius, Servetus, Stephanus, Gen 

 narus and Vulpinus. The first studied under him for three years, 

 during which he laid the foundation for his famous Fabrica. This 

 would not have been possible unless he had been given the liberty 

 of dissecting and observing the structure of the huinan body ;u 

 his pleasure. Vesalius was very critical of Sylvius, accusing him, 

 among other things, of providing insufficient bodies for use in 

 his anatomical theatre. 



Sylvius worked under adverse conditions which were either 

 created by himself or were due to circumstances beyond his con- 



