I( 



ANATOMY DURING THE EUROPEAN RENAISSANCE 87 



observations: that the septum of the heart is impermeable, no 

 pores being present; that the pulmonary artery is too large to 

 serve solely for the nutriment of the lung (a "Galenic" function); 

 and that the blood is aerated in the lungs. He believed, however, 

 as did Galen, that the blood originated from the liver. These in- 

 terpretations were published in the fifth volume of his Chris- 

 tianismi Restitutio in 1553 and indicate that he had a grasp of the 

 basic significance of the circulation of the blood. This book was 

 suppressed by the Church. Realdus Columbus published essen- 

 tially the same concept in his De Re Anatomica, in 1559. 



In spite of his efforts to remain incognito, Servetus fell into 

 the hands of John Calvin, the French theologian, in 1553; he 

 was imprisoned, tried for heresy and burned at the stake on Oc- 

 tober 27, 1553, at Geneva, at the age of forty-four years, along 

 with 1,000 copies of his condemned book. Only three originals 

 survive. This terminal event in his life has been described as 

 one of the most deplorable tragedies in human affairs (Fulton, 

 '53; Hemmeter, '15; Osier, '10). 



e. Other Universities of the Renaissance. Not much infor- 

 mation is available about certain other universities which existed 

 during the period of the Renaissance: Venice, Pisa, Vienna and 

 Louvain. 



At Venice, the Council passed a law permitting dissection 

 of a human as early as 1368. In 1404, a public anatomy was con- 

 ducted by Prof. Gallazzo di Santa Sofia, the sittings lasting for 

 eight days. A collection was taken up from those attending and 

 the proceeds turned over to the faculty. This is the only instance 

 I have found of this monetary practice. No further anatomies were 

 held for twelve years. Dissection was included as a definite part 

 of the medical curriculum in 1433. Statutes were made regulating 

 anatomy in 1495 but it was not until 1658 that the university was 

 able to acquire its first skeleton. Nicolai Massa, one of the best 

 known syphilologists of his time, with patients coming from all 

 over Europe to see him, is said to have performed nine demonstra- 

 tions on human cadavers between 1524 and 1536. An anatomical 

 theatre was built in 1552. 



Berengario da Carpi (1470-1550) cannot be placed in any 

 one school, because he was a member of the faculties at both 



