[IX] 



ANDREAS VESALIUS-A.D. 1514 to 1564 



A. Introduction 



XjL ndreas Vesalius stands out as one of the greatest medical 

 men of all time. A single contribution of his is ranked as amon| 

 the ten most significant and influential in the literature of th< 

 profession. His publication in 1543 marks a turning point, nol 

 only in anatomy, but in the entire field of medicine. Althougl 

 many writers have been attracted to him in the past 400 years^ 

 the details of his life, the circumstances and extent of his labors 

 and the impact of his work upon the progress of medicine are not] 

 generally well-known. Probably few men have seen or read his 

 original works. Over four centuries have elapsed since his death;j 

 he wrote in Latin and his writings are now found only in the great 

 medical libraries which may be some of the factors which ac- 

 count for this. 



What no other man could do for 1400 years, Vesalius did. 

 He neutralized completely, though not immediately, the author-! 

 ity of Galen; recast the instruction of human structure; started 

 basic medical research in anatomy, physiology and surgery in 

 new direction; illustrated his dissections accurately; destroyec 

 long standing tenets, superstitious and otherwise, and made man^ 

 new discoveries. He ranks in the same class as Bacon, Galileo; 

 Descartes, Newton, Lavoisier and Bichat in respect to his crea-^ 

 tive contributions to society. 



It took a man with certain definite qualifications to mak< 

 these accomplishments: youth, enthusiasm, power of observation, 

 courage and diligence, and Vesalius had all these. His master-j 

 piece, De Humani Corporis Fabrica, was before the public prioi 

 to his thirtieth year in the form of the most accurate, complete 



00 



