Andreas Vesalius

Who was Andreas Vesalius?

Andreas Vesalius was a Belgian anatomist and physician. Based on his work, he wrote De Humani Corporis Fabrica, which translates to On the Fabric of the Human Body. This was the most accurate and comprehensive anatomical text to date and included very accurate illustrations. Vesalius's work discredited long held beliefs about human anatomy put forth by Galen over 1,000 years earlier. Overall Andreas Vesalius’s greatest accomplishment was reintroducing anatomy and its importance to the public by publishing De Humani Corpris Fabrica.

Where did Andreas Vesalius live?

Andreas Vesalius was Flemish and born in Brussels. He studied in Paris and Padua, but lived in Madrid when a court physician.

"I am not accustomed to saying anything with certainty after only one or two observations."

Basic Facts:

Often referred as the founder of modern human anatomy
He died 15th October, 1564 due to a shipwreck
- Died when he was nearly 50 years old
Alternate Names:
- Andrea Vesalius
- Andreas Vesalio
- Andreas Vesal
- André Vesalio
- Andre Vesalepo
His ancestors were mostly well-known physicians and pharmacists
He was anatomist and physician
When he was a boy he showed great interest in the dissection of animals

Born: 31st December, 1514
Died: 15th October, 1564
Known For: De Humani Corporis Fabrica (On the Fabric of the Human Body)
Fields: Antomy

Timeline (Jotnotes):

Education
- 1528
  - Vesalius entered the university of Leuven
    - Studied at
- 1532
  - His father was appointed as the Valet de Chambre (A manservant who acts as a personal attendant to his employer
    - He decided to pursue a career in medicine at the university of Paris.
      - In 1533
- 1536
  - Left Paris and returned to Leuven
    - Graduated next year
      - After that he moved to the University of Padua in Italy to study for his doctorate
Achievements
- After graduating from the University, Andreas became very interested in human anatomy
- He knew if he wanted to study anatomy he has to dissect real human corpse, which was banned at the time by the Catholic Church
- He spent years studying human anatomy until he was ready to publish a book based on his research
- His most important accomplishment was a book about human anatomy called “De Humani Commis Fabrica” (The Structure of the Human Body)
  - It was published in 1543
- The book was published to correct Galen`s mistakes and reveal to the world the actual structures of the human body
- He is considered a father of human anatomy today
- The book had over 200 different anatomical drawings
- He proved that men and women have the same number of ribs
  - This was the opposite to what the church believed on the Old Testament of Eve being created from one of Adam’s rib
Later Life
- 1564
- He went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land
- After visiting Jerusalem, he struggled for many days with the adverse winds in Ionian Sea
- His ship wrecked on the island of Zakynthos, Greece
- October 15th 1564
  - He died at the age of 49

Timeline (Paragraphs):

Andreas Vesalius was Flemish-born scientist born on December 31, 1514 in Brussels, Belgium, which at that time was a part of the Roman Empire. He came from a long line of physicians, and maybe that was what triggered his interest in the dissection of human bodies to uncover the body’s secrets. Vesalius began to show an interest in the dissection of human bodies at a very young age. Because both his father and his grandfather served the Roman Empire, Vesalius got sort of a special privilege to dissect bodies as many times as he wanted to get the sufficient information he wanted. Now that he was able to dissect bodies, Vesalius needed to be educated about the body so he knows what to learn from the body.

Vesalius left his hometown, to study medicine at the University of Paris, but was reluctant to leave before he even completed his degree as the Holy Roman Empire had declared war on France. Since he had no part in the war, he then went to University of Louvain to study more, and then moved to Padua to complete his doctorate. As soon as he completed his doctorate, he was offered the chair of anatomy and surgery. So driven by the fascination of the human body, Vesalius gladly accepted the offer.

While studying at the University of Paris, Vesalius an extremely huge supporter of “Galenism”. He believed and followed what Galen had discovered and documented. Vesalius had a bit of doubt to start with, but he couldn’t begin to imagine what would happen if he doubted the findings of the great Galen. When he moved to the University of Padua, he began to dissect bodies for himself. He began to find new and fascinating things about the human body. To share his findings with others, he made a chart for the students to study from. The charts began to spread like wildfire and were getting more and more recognition.

As he began to get more and more familiar with the human body, he began to see the mistakes of Galen. Galen has stated that the human breastbone was made of seven segments, when actually it was made of three segments, as Vesalius documented. Galen also said that the humerus was the largest bone in the human body, when actually (as Vesalius found out) the tibia and fibula made the humerus the fourth largest bone in the body.

Vesalius’s personal life was a quiet one. Because he was so devoted to human anatomy, he was only passionate about human anatomy and nothing else. He wasn’t married, neither did he have any kids.

Vesalius went to go on a pilgrimage to holy land, but on the way back, he was in a shipwreck on the island of Zakynthos, Greece that took his life. He died on October 15, 1564, when he was only 49 years old.

Accomplishments:

Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564) was a Belgian anatomist and physician. He assembled the first human skeleton from cadavers and was a pioneer in human dissection.

Based on his work, he wrote De Humani Corporis Fabrica (On the Fabric of the Human Body) which was the most accurate and comprehensive anatomical text to date and included accurate illustrations. In De Humani Corporis there were 7 books. Vesalius's work discredited long held beliefs about human anatomy put forth by Galen over 1,000 years earlier.

Book 1: The Bones and Cartilage

This first book of Vesalius is about a fourth of the entire collection. It presents Vesalius' observations of human bones and cartilages, which he collected from cemeteries.Vesalius goes over the physical appearance of human bones, the differentiation of human bones and cartilages by function. In each chapter he describes the bones in great detail, explaining their physical qualities in different angles.

Book 2: The Ligaments and Muscles

In book two, Vesalius describes the structure of the muscles, the agents used in creating movement for our bodies, and the material used to hold the joints together. Vesalius explains the order one should dissect a single human body to effectively observe each muscle the body contains.

Book 3: The Veins and Arteries, Book 4: The Nerves

In books three and four, Vesalius describes the veins, arteries, and nerves as vessels but is aware of the differing physical appearance: veins and arteries contains a hollow channel, but nerves do not. Vesalius explains the route in which air travels through the lungs and the heart.

Book 5:The Organs of Nutrition and Generation

In book five, Vesalius presents detailed descriptions of the organs of nutrition, the urinary system, and the male and female reproductive systems. In the first half of the book, Vesalius describes the peritoneum, the esophagus, the stomach, the omentum, the intestines and the mesentery.

Book 6: The Heart and Associated Organs, Book 7: The Brain

In books six and seven, Vesalius describes the substances and functions of the heart and the organs of respiration, the brain and its coverings, the eye, the organs of sensation, and the nerves of the limbs.

Vesalius's precise observation, emphasis on the participation of students in dissection lectures, and anatomically correct textbooks helped to revolutionized medicine. Vesalius contributed to putting medical science on the road to the life-saving and life-enhancing discipline that it is today.

To look at the book, click on the link below:http://archive.nlm.nih.gov/proj/ttp/flash/vesalius/vesalius.html

http://archive.nlm.nih.gov/proj/ttp/flash/vesalius/vesalius.html

Humanism and Vesalius...

Humanism, was only an idea during the Renaissance, but was spreading quickly throughout Europe. It was an idea that allowed people to live life the way they wanted. Vesalius was an extremely devoted anatomist and physician. His mind was open to everything. So open that he was courageous enough to doubt the findings of Galen. Vesalius started out his career as an anatomist with very little recognition. He was very interested in the dissection of human bodies to unearth the new world of what goes on in our bodies. He kept digging and digging, until finally he was able to prove just how wrong Galen was. Vesalius thought for himself, instead of blindly following the false information about the human body that Galen had provided. His curiosity led him to uncovering the truth. He later published his findings into seven books about the human body. His books were the first step to developing modern technology. Had he been following the false information of Galen’s finding, modern medicine would not have been what it is today. Vesalius is now referred to as the father of modern medicine, largely because of what he had published into those seven books, and what he published in those books wouldn’t have been published had it not been for the open mind for Vesalius which led him to correcting the findings of Galen, (which at that time was known to be true information about the human body).

Interview.docx

Worldviews...

This what it says in each element:

Economy:

Vesalius was not a very wealthy man, but his financial situation was not extremely bad. He managed his money well. He spent it on things he thought were worth buying, like tools for dissection. His income came from his profession as a professor at the University of Padua, and near the starting point of his career, he was being funded by the Holy Roman Empire, just until he could get his own income and look after his own financial situation.

Time:

Vesalius was a very busy man. His time was extremely precious and valuable to him; therefore he only spent it on things he valued a lot. And what he valued a lot is researching the anatomy of the human body. He practically spent all day and night researching to find out more about the human body and what goes on inside it. He only rested when he was absolutely tired. He also spent a lot of time writing those books, because he believed that it would help educate younger generation about the human anatomy, which it did.

Knowledge:

He had a lot of knowledge about the anatomy of the human body, which he displayed in his work. He used that knowledge to prove Galen wrong. He gained all this knowledge through dissecting human bodies. He believed that this knowledge was extremely important, because it is potentially life- saving information.

Values:

Vesalius was a man who proved many people wrong, in fact he proved many religious beliefs wrong. But, he absolutely did not cross the line when it came to the Holy Roman Empire. He valued the Holy Roman Empire and Catholicism a lot, which is why he left the University of Padua. The Holy Roman Empire had declared war on France, when he was studying in Paris. Because he valued the Holy Roman Empire a lot, he left a good University. He faced a dilemma, and he chose the Holy Roman Empire. Just gives you a clear idea of what he truly values.

Society:

Geography:

He was living in Brussels, Belgium, which at that time was being ruled by the Holy Roman Empire, as I mentioned. Due to the fact that he was living in a place ruled by an empire that his father worked, it gave him a lot of benefits, because he was allowed to do anything and allowed to have anything for his work. The Empire overruled the Catholic Church’s law, which banned the dissection of a human body, just for Vesalius.

Beleifs:

Vesalius was a very virtuous man. When he believed something, you just absolutely couldn’t destroy that belief. He stuck to his beliefs. He was a man who wouldn’t just believe anything at first sight. He was curious and went in depth to find out more. Just like how he was curious about the findings of Galen, so instead of believing it like everyone else, he actually dissected a body to see if Galen was right or not. His curious mind is what caused him to do more research and prove Galen wrong.