Andrei Vezaliy and his contribution to medicine

Andrei Vesaliy is the founder of scientific anatomy. His remarkable book De humini corporus fabrica, created in 1543, was the first fully illustrated anatomy of the human body. It was based on the observations of the scientist, made by him at the autopsy, and refuted many thousands of years of misconceptions in this field of knowledge. Andrew Vesalius - a scientist of the Renaissance. He was professor of anatomy at the University of Padua and doctor of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.

Andrei Vesaliy: short biography

Vesalius was born on December 31, 1514 in Brussels. At that time the city was part of the Holy Roman Empire. Today it is the capital of Belgium. Andrew was one of four children - he had two brothers and a sister. His father, Anders van Wesele, served as a court pharmacist at Margarita of Austria. Mother, Isabelle Crabb, raised children in a rich house located in a respectable area near the Cowdenberg Palace, where the boy's daddy worked.

Vesalius went to school at six. Probably, it was an educational institution of the Catholic brotherhood in Brussels. For 9 years he mastered arithmetic, Latin and other languages, and thoroughly studied the principles of the Catholic religion. His father was often absent from duty. And the boy, encouraged by his mother to follow in the footsteps of the pope, fully enjoyed a well-staffed family library.

College

At the age of 15 Andrei Vesaliy entered the University of Louvain. It was located 30 km east of Brussels. It was a moment of family pride: his father was forbidden to receive higher education, since he was born unmarried. As it was then accepted, Vesalius studied art and Latin. He also mastered Hebrew and Greek. After receiving a Master of Arts degree in 1532, he was admitted to the prestigious medical school of the University of Paris.

Paris School of Medicine

Andrei Vezaliy began his medical education in 1533, at the age of 19. A great influence on the talented student was provided by the works of the ancient Greek physician Claudia Galena, written 1300 years before he met them. These teachings were considered an absolute and irreproachable truth. Most of the anatomical observations of Galen were made at the autopsy of animals, mainly primates, because at that time people were forbidden to dissect people.

Andrei Vezaliy as anatomists owes much to his teacher of anatomy Johann Guinter von Andernah, who was engaged in translating the ancient Greek texts of Galen into Latin. Like the ancient Greek physician, he considered personal experience and observations to be the best way to obtain anatomical knowledge. Most of the autopsy of the person at that time was conducted solely to assure students that everything written by Galen and Hippocrates was true.

During a typical demonstration, the butcher or surgeon did the necessary incisions, and the teacher, sitting high above the body, read out the relevant excerpts from the ancient works aloud. The assistant helped students by pointing to the bodies discussed. Since the ancient texts could not contain any errors, the students were not allowed to ask questions or discuss dissection. Academic disputes, as a rule, concerned the correctness of the translation of ancient works, and not anatomy.

Guinter von Andernach was a rare type of teacher in those days. He allowed his students to dissect by themselves. Although this practice was condemned by most universities. As a rule, the executed criminals were opened, and it was considered humiliating for educated people to deal with these despicable samples.

Vesalius' talents impressed Guintera so much that he asked him to help with the book about the Galenic anatomy Institutiones anatomicae. The work was published in 1536. In it, Guinter praised his 21-year-old student: "This promising young man has outstanding knowledge in medicine, perfectly speaks Latin and Greek and is very experienced in anatomy."

Louvain Medical School

Andrew Vesalius was forced to leave Paris in 1536, as a war broke out between France and the Holy Roman Empire. To complete his medical research, he returned to the University of Louvain. His experience in anatomy was quickly recognized. Soon, Vesalius was commissioned to observe and comment on the autopsy of the 18-year-old noblewoman who died suddenly. Anatomy of young women at that time was a rarity. Vesalius was angered by the inexperience of the surgeon and took an autopsy on himself.

Despite the keen awareness of his growing experience, he was still unhappy with his knowledge of human anatomy. Vesalius realized that the texts will not teach him anything else. Now Andrew had to break the barriers to knowledge, erected by the old professors of medicine, who were happy to worship Galen and Hippocrates. For research, he needed human bodies.

Soon after returning to Louvain, Andrei Vesaliy and his friend found the almost complete corpse of an executed criminal left in the open air. The opportunity presented was too good to miss. That night, Vesalius secretly made his way to the body, abducted and dissected it, making a skeleton from it, which he then used as a visual aid. To avoid arousing suspicion, he came up with a story about what brought him from Paris. By conducting demonstrations for students, Vesalius in Louvain actually became an informal teacher of anatomy. In 1537, at age 22, he received a bachelor's degree in medicine.

Andrei Vesaliy: biography of the scientist

The young medic wanted to become a doctor. To do this, he needed to obtain the appropriate qualifications. To this end, he entered the University of Padua in northern Italy. The professors quickly realized that Vesalius was an exceptional student. Almost immediately they allowed him to pass the final exams. A gifted young man was awarded his doctorate on his twenty-third birthday. Teachers immediately elected him professor of anatomy and surgery.

Andrei Vesaliy will write his main works in Padua. He was keenly aware of the need for illustrations and visual aids that could help students understand the anatomy. Vesalius used them during the autopsy. In the first year of his professorship, in 1538, he published Tabulae anatomicae sex - "Six anatomical tables". Illustrative illustrations were accompanied by notes made during his first public autopsy in Padua, Andrei Vesaliy. Contribution to the anatomy of the scientist is indisputable. He compiled a schematic image of the liver, venous and arterial system, as well as the skeleton. The book instantly became very popular. She was shamelessly copied.

In 1539, the anatomical studies of Vesalius received the support of Judge Padua. He became interested in the work of the scientist and began to supply him with the bodies of executed criminals for autopsy. By this time, it was obvious to Vesalius that Galen's anatomy was wrong. However, the refutation of the dominant ideas is complicated and sometimes dangerous. Even in later times, too often new ideas had to fight for their right to exist, even if they were backed up by weighty evidence. Vesalius also had to refute the orthodox views that prevailed for 1300 years.

In the work "Six Anatomical Tables", instead of describing his current observations during research, the scientist made concessions to the tradition. Andrei Vesalius presented the liver in a medieval form - in the form of a five-legged flower. He depicted the heart and the aorta as Galen described them, these were the organs of monkeys, not humans. However, in the skeleton he managed to make revolutionary, albeit unobtrusive, changes. Vesalius showed the jaw of a man, consisting of one, and not two bones, as Galen had incorrectly stated.

A letter about bloodletting

In addition to this mini mutiny, Vesalius also took part in a dispute about venosection, or bloodletting. This technique has been routinely used to treat or alleviate patient symptoms. Doctors argued about where to make a vein cut - near the place of injury or at a distance from it. The discussion erupted because doctors relied on the Arabic translation of Galen's works - his original works in Greek were not available in Europe since the Roman Empire. However, the fall of Constantinople changed this situation. And Galen's work could again be studied in the original. The doctors found that the Greek text sometimes disagreed with the Arabic translation, which they used for so long.

In 1539, at the age of 24, Vesalius wrote a letter about bloodletting. Not acting on the side of any revolutionary changes, he again violated the generally accepted practice, telling about his own observations, and not citing classical texts. Vesalius now firmly decided to seek the truth on his own, and not rely on the work of others.

The appearance of a new anatomy

In 1540, at the age of 25, Andrei Vesaliy began to work on the illustrated textbook of anatomy De humini corporus fabrica ("On the structure of the human body"). This book became his most significant work. In 1543, Vesalius took an academic leave at the University of Padua. He went to Swiss Basel to complete the book for publication.

"On the structure of the human body" was an impressive work of 700 pages in seven volumes. Its visual impact - more than 270 spectacular illustrations - was huge. In the second volume, for example, there are stunningly detailed images of people in a series of illustrations layer by layer demonstrating the muscular structure of the body. These drawings, probably, became the most famous medical images in history.

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of the book that Andrei Vesaliy wrote. The contribution to medicine was enormous. In addition, the work was an important milestone in the history of art. Unfortunately, the name of the artist who worked with the scientist remained unknown. The images were accompanied by a description of the work of the muscles.

Not surprisingly, given the richness of the illustrations and the large volume, the book was an expensive acquisition. It was intended for doctors, libraries and aristocrats. Realizing that others might be interested in his work, the author simultaneously released a practical, more accessible book with fewer drawings called Epitome. Andrei Vezaliy used in Epitom for illustrations much more male bodies than female ones, probably because the male criminals were significantly more executed than the female ones.

Fabrica became the ancestor of modern science of human anatomy. She decisively broke with Galen and Hippocrates. Andrei Vesalius opened his own foundations only on what he actually saw at the autopsy, and not on what he expected to see. Here are just a few of his statements:

• There is no bone at the base of the heart. Her description of Galen actually belonged to the cartilage at the base of the heart of a deer and other animals, which solidified as the beast grew older.
• The sternum consists of three, not seven parts, as Galen claimed, based on the autopsy performed by the monkeys.
• The septum of the heart is not porous. There are no holes in it.
• The hollow vein begins in the heart, and not in the liver, as Galen claimed.
• There is no such organ as rete mirabile - the "wonderful plexus" of the internal arteries, which supposedly led from the heart to the brain.
• Men and women have an equal number of ribs. The representatives of the stronger sex do not have absent rib, as was commonly believed.
• Men and women have the same number of teeth. Galen also claimed that the former had more.

Most readers have met the book positively. She became a tabletop for serious anatomists and doctors. However, some doctors and scientists felt threatened, as they built their career at Galen's work, and attacked Vesalius.

For example, Jacob Silvius, who taught Andrew in Paris, described his former student as a brazen and illiterate slanderer who treacherously attacked his teacher with an aggressive lie, again and again distorting the truth of nature. In saying this, he may have thus avenged his student, who previously said that the methods of teaching Sylvia, which consisted in studying the bodies of cats and dogs, and not humans, can not lead to progress in the science of human anatomy.

Andrei Vesaliy "On the structure of the human body" dedicated to the Emperor Charles V. He also gave him a special copy, printed on parchment. And the Epitome Vesalius dedicated to the son of Charles - Prince Philip.

The court physician

When the emperor noticed the book, authored by Andrei Vesaliy, the biography of the scientist made another turn - he was appointed a doctor of the imperial family. He resigned from the duties of a professor in Padua, becoming the fifth representative of the dynasty of Vesalius, who was in the service at the court. As a medical doctor, he had to serve in the army. When the war began, Vesalius was sent to the battlefield as a surgeon. Accustomed to working with corpses, he struggled to operate with living patients. Experienced surgeon Daza Chakon helped him learn how to quickly perform amputations.

In the winter of 1543, Vesalius came to Italy to perform in anatomical theaters, and then in the spring of 1544 returned to military service. He became an excellent surgeon. One of Vesalius's court duties was embalming the corpses of wealthy noblemen who died in battle. This allowed him to conduct further anatomical studies, take notes and carry out observations.

In the middle of 1544 the world was declared. And Andrei Vesaliy, a surgeon, returned to take care of the emperor and his court in a more comfortable environment. His reputation continued to grow as he received letters from doctors across Europe with requests for advice in the most difficult cases.

In 1556, Emperor Charles V gave power to his son Philip. In gratitude to Vesalius, who turned 41 years old, for his faithful service, Karl granted him a lifelong pension and an aristocratic title of a count-palatine. The court physician continued to work, now in the service of Philip.

Pilgrimage

Andrei Vesalius accompanied Philip to Madrid, but there he did not enjoy life. Spanish doctors treated the disease, relying on the movements of the planets. Dissection of human bodies was prohibited. All this seemed rather backward. In addition, Philip preferred traditional medical methods of treatment, rather than modern scientific methods. Vesalius became clear that he would never become the chief doctor of the ruler.

In 1561 the professor of anatomy Gabriela Fallopii, who occupied the former place of Andrew at the University of Padua, sent him a copy of a book he wrote called Observationes Anatomicae. In it he commented "On the structure of the human body", in a friendly manner indicating some differences between Vesalius's work and his own later observations. He also made it clear that he was seriously ill.

In 1564 Fallopy died. The Department of Anatomy in Padua became vacant. In the same year, Vesalius left Spain for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Various surviving sources claim that he was sent by Philip to make a pilgrimage as a sign of repentance. The emperor allegedly took such a decision after a noble family reported on an anatomist-revolutionary to the Spanish Inquisition about the autopsy of a nobleman whose heart was still beating.

All these reports are based on a single source - a letter allegedly written in 1565 by diplomat Hubert Langet. It most likely was fabricated 50 years after the death of the anatomist. Andrei Vesaliy, whose biography is not tainted by such facts (there are no primary documents confirming the accusations against him), probably went on a pilgrimage ploy to freely leave Philippe's court in Spain and then return to Padua.

Personal life and death

In 1544, Vesalius married the daughter of a wealthy adviser in Brussels - Anne van Hamme. They had one child, a girl who was born in 1545. Her parents called her Anna. The family lived together most of the time. But when Vesaliy went on his pilgrimage to Jerusalem, his wife and daughter returned to Brussels.

The scientist reached Jerusalem, where he received a letter with an invitation to accept the Department of Anatomy and Surgery at the University of Padua. Unfortunately, Andrei Vesaliy, whose brief biography was tragically interrupted, never returned to Padua. His journey from Jerusalem was overshadowed by severe storms. By the time the ship reached the port on the Greek island of Zakynthos, Vesalius was desperately ill. He died a few days later. Andrei Vesaliy, the founder of scientific anatomy, died at the age of 49. This happened on October 15, 1564. He is buried in Zakynthos.