98 HUMAN DISSECTION. ITS DRAMA AND STRUGGLE 



that the young Belgian professor was to give a course of instruction 

 in anatomy. Long before the hour set, for a demonstration, all 

 seats, even standing room were taken, which meant that well 

 over 500 persons were interested enough to attend. The audience 

 was comprised of professors, students of medicine, city officers 

 and members of the clergy. 



The style of his anatomical presentation, which was an inno- 

 vation, was made evident on this historical occasion by Vesalius. 

 He walked into the chamber, and without wasting a moment, 

 launched into preliminary remarks about the significance of anat- 

 omy and the methods which had been used previously in acquir- 

 ing knowledge. Then, the structural divisions were rapidly 

 pointed out on the flayed body of a dog; this was done to con- 

 serve human material. When the cadaver was placed upon the 

 table, all eyes were focused upon it with possibly the realization 

 that this was a rare event and that they were privileged persons. 



The dissection, made by Vesalius, was performed and in reg- 

 ular sequence: abdomen, pelvis, thorax, face and neck muscles, 

 the remainder of the head and finally the upper and lower ex- 

 tremities. Physiological deductions, based on the anatomy of the 

 parts, were made throughout; pathological conditions were con- 

 sidered as briefly as possible. Structure was particularly high- 

 lighted because he feared fatiguing his audience with too much 

 variety. Numerous nonhuman vivisections ended the anatomy 

 lessons. His large and elite audience remained with him to the 

 end. Although, it must have been both a physical and mental 

 strain for Vesalius, as he did most of the work, both preparatory 

 and actual, he never mentioned it and gave no signs of it. This 

 and the others which he subsequently presented, were profitable 

 from the standpoint of financial remuneration. 



Vesalius was given the honor of conducting two public dis- 

 sections at the University of Bologna located not too far away, 

 probably in the years of 1539 and 1540. This was the institution 

 where Mondino had revived the practical teaching of anatomy 

 about 200 years previously. A special, wooden building was 

 erected for this event; three bodies were turned over to him for 

 the first class. Using the same standards as at Padua, he handled 

 the situation in grandiose fashion. A large and select gathering 



