"A blind man works on wood the same way as a surgeon on the body when he is ignorant of anatomy." — Chirurgia Magna, Treatise I, Doctrine I, Ch I
Every surgeon knows the importance of anatomy. It is impossible to navigate the human body without an accurate roadmap. Until the Renaissance, knowledge of human anatomy was derived from animal dissections, mainly done by Galen in the 2nd century AD. Galen's chronicle of human anatomy was considered immutable, like the Bible, for almost 1300 years. No one dared challenge his teachings, which obviously had errors since they were based on animal dissection.
The Renaissance ushered in the age of enlightenment. Ancients were challenged and dogmas questioned. Andreas Vesalius, an anatomist and physician in 16th-century Europe, was one such scholar to question Galenic teachings on human anatomy. He popularized human dissection and derived his knowledge from first-hand direct inspection. At age 28, in 1543, he published a landmark book called De Humani Corporis Fabrica (On the Fabric of the Human Body), correcting over 200 anatomical inaccuracies in Galenic texts.
"The Fabrica," as it is commonly known, was not only the first accurate atlas of human anatomy — it is also considered a work of art, with beautiful, high-quality illustrations. The drawings of cadavers and skeletons were rendered in dramatic, allegorical postures, much like other Renaissance paintings of that age.
Why is "The Fabrica" such a landmark publication in the history of science? Learn more in this video by Sachiko Kusukawa, a historian at Trinity College, Cambridge:
The Art of the Original Fabrica, by Sachiko Kusukawa:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLWPU8WSeLg
A Book & A Phenomenon, by Sachiko Kusukawa:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuBUq3R7Ri0
Sample pages from the New Fabrica, translated from the original Latin text: vesaliusfabrica.com