Vesalius Portrait

Author: Andreas Vesalius
Title: De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem (On the Fabri of the Human Body in Seven Books)
Publication Information: Basileae: Per I. Oporinum, 1555

Published when he was only 29 years old, Vesalius revolutionized not only the science of anatomy but how it was taught through this work. Vesalius provided a fuller and more detailed description of human anatomy than any of his predecessors in this book. He corrected errors in the traditional anatomical teachings of Galen which had been obtained from primate rather than human dissection. Vesalius’s most lasting contribution to the teaching of anatomy was the principle that only through human dissection could the physician learn human anatomy in sufficient detail to be able to teach it accurately.

The title page and the series of more than 200 anatomical woodcuts spread throughout the book, which is written in Latin, remain the most famous series of anatomical illustrations ever published. Vesalius never named the artist, but Jan Stephen van Calcar is the only named artist definitely known to have worked with Vesalius, so the illustrations are often attributed to him.

The 1555 version in the Medical Heritage Center collection is a copy of the second printing of the book. The first version was done in 1543. Each book is covered in a different material including silk and human skin. The MHC volume is covered in pigskin.

For more information about Vesalius and his famous work, please visit the links below.

http://vesalius.northwestern.edu/

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/historicalanatomies/vesalius_home.html