1. Andreas Vesalius
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2. A Belgian-born physician
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3. Wrote On the Structure of the Human Body Published in 1543
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4. This 700-page book, with more than 300 illustrations, established the foundations of the modern science of anatomy.
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5. It contained Vesalius’ firsthand observations of the structure and operation of the human body.
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6. The application of the scientific method would not have been possible had not Vesalius dared to dissect human bodies.
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7. It is important to remember that the scientific method involves direct observation and experimentation.
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8. Vesalius had to dissect a body to see how the body worked.
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9. In the mid-1500s, medical knowledge of the workings of the human body was limited mainly to the writings of Galen, a physician who lived during the period of the Roman Empire.
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10. Galen’s work was not very accurate, because he never studied a corpse.
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11. Not until the 15th century did European universities permit occasional public dissections of the bodies of executed criminals.
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12. Vesalius was determined to learn by first-hand investigation and observation. As a 20-year-old medical student in Paris, he took the risk of doing two public dissections before large audiences.
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13. At age 23, Vesalius became professor of anatomy at the University of Padua in Italy.
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14. He was appointed as court physician to the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, Charles V, and to Philip II, Charles’s successor as King of Spain.
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15. At the time of the publication of his book, Vesalius’ views and methods came under attack by the authorities of the Roman Catholic Church.
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16. Angered by the criticism, Vesalius burned his notes.
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17. For twenty years, he did not perform dissections.
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18. Eventually, Vesalius resumed his investigations into the workings of the human body.
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19. However, while returning from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Vesalius was shipwrecked and died of disease or starvation on a Mediterranean island.
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20. But Vesalius changed world history.
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21. Write a letter to Vesalius in which you comment on his reaction to criticism. Advise him as to how and why he might have responded differently.
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