Andreas Vesalius
- Andreas Vesalius was born in 1514 in Brussels, Belgium. He worked at the University of Padua, Italy.
- He specialised in anatomyThe science dealing with the structure of animals and plants.
- His work later made it possible for further discoveries and future advances in medicine to take place.
Vesalius and the human body
At the University of Padua, Vesalius was able to study human bodies closely using dissectionThe action of cutting apart the body of an animal or plant to examine its internal structure. This gave him the opportunity to explore how the body worked and understand the roles of different organs.
Vesalius is best known for his book On the Fabric of the Human Body, published in 1543. This was an extremely detailed and accurate guide for doctors on how the human body worked. It contained detailed and accurate drawings of the human body, which was helpful for doctors.
Some of Vesalius鈥 discoveries proved that GalenA Roman doctor who lived from AD129 to approximately AD203. He revived Hippocrates' ideas and encouraged bloodletting as a treatment, after learning about anatomy from treating injured gladiators. had made some mistakes. For example, Vesalius proved that the human jaw bone was made of one bone, not two. He also proved that blood did not pass from one side of the heart to the other through the septum - a rubber-like tissue often referred to as cartilage.
Why was Vesalius significant?
In the short term, Vesalius鈥 work was significant as he had proved that Galen had made mistakes. This encouraged other doctors to question other ideas and theories Galen had produced.
In the longer term, Vesalius鈥 work was significant due to the accuracy of the anatomical knowledge and drawings contained in On the Fabric of the Human Body. This meant other advances in medicine could happen. For example, surgeons could later use Vesalius鈥 work to develop new operations with a detailed understanding of the anatomy of the body.