OVERTHROW OF AUTHORITY IN SCIENCE 35 
human subjects. He showed that the sternum, or breast 
bone, has three parts instead of eight; he showed that the 
thigh bones are straight and not curved, as they are in the dog. 
Sylvius, his old teacher, was one of his bitterest opponents; 
he declared that the human body had undergone changes in 
structure since the time of Galen, and, with the object of de- 
fending the ancient anatomist, ‘‘ he asserted that the straight 
thigh bones, which, as every one saw, were not curved in 
accordance with the teaching of Galen, were the result of 
the narrow trousers of his contemporaries, and that they 
must have been curved in their natural condition, when un- 
interfered with by art!” 
The theologians also found other points for contention. 
It was a widely accepted dogma that man should have one 
less rib on one side, because from the Scriptural account 
Eve was formed from one of Adam’s ribs. This, of course, 
Vesalius did not find to be the case. It was also generally 
believed at this time that there was in the body an indestruc- 
tible resurrection-bone which formed the nucleus of the 
resurrection-body. Vesalius said that he would leave the 
question of the existence of such a bone to be decided by the 
theologians, as it did not appear to him to be an anatomical 
question. 
The Court Physician.—The hand of the church was heavy 
upon him, and the hatred shown in attacks from various 
quarters threw Vesalius into a state of despondency and 
anger. In this frame of mind he destroyed manuscripts upon 
which he had expended much labor. His disappointment 
in the reception of his work probably had much to do in 
deciding him to relinquish his professorship and accept the 
post of court physician to Charles V of the United Kingdoms 
of Spain and Belgium. After the death of Charles, he 
remained with Philip II, who succeeded to the throne. Here 
he waxed rich and famous, but he was always under sus- 
