Andreas Vesalius short biography. Vesalius and scientific anatomy

Andreas Vesalius was born on December 31 1514 years in the city of Brussels (Seventeen Provinces). Vesalius' activities took place in many European countries. He was one of the first to study the human body by dissection. In the main work "On the structure of the human body" ( 1543 ) Vesalius gave a scientific description of the structure of all organs and systems, pointed out many mistakes of his predecessors, including Galen. Persecuted by the church.

Andreas Vesalius is rightly considered the creator of modern anatomy and the founder of the school of anatomists. He also enjoyed success as a practicing physician.

Andreas Vesalius' doctors were his grandfather and great-grandfather, and his father served as a pharmacist at the court of Emperor Charles V. The interests of those around him undoubtedly influenced the interests and aspirations of young Vesalius. Andreas studied first at school, and then at the University of Louvain, where he received a versatile education, studied Greek and Latin, thanks to which he could get acquainted with the works of scientists already in his youth. Obviously, he read many books about medicine by ancient and contemporary scientists, since his works speak of deep knowledge. Vesalius independently assembled a complete human skeleton from the bones of the executed. This was the first anatomical manual in Europe.

Every year, Vesalius' passionate interest in the study of medicine, in anatomical research, was shown more and more. In his free time from studying, he carefully dissected the bodies of animal mice, cats, dogs at home, studying the structure of their body.

Seeking to improve his knowledge in the field of medicine, especially anatomy, Andreas Vesalius at the age of seventeen went to the University of Montpellier, and in 1533 year first appeared at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Paris to listen to the lectures of the famous Enatom Sylvius. Young Vesalius could already critically approach the method of teaching anatomy.

In the preface to the treatise On the Structure of the Human Body, Andreas Vesalius wrote: “My studies would never have led to success if, during my medical work in Paris, I had not put my own hands on this matter ... And I myself, somewhat sophisticated by my own experience, I publicly conducted one third of the autopsies on my own ”.

A. Vesalius asks questions at lectures that testify to his doubts about the correctness of the teachings of Galen. Galen is an indisputable authority, his teachings should be accepted without any reservations, and Vesalius trusts his eyes more than the works of Galen.

The scientist rightly considered anatomy to be the basis of medical knowledge, and the goal of his life was the desire to revive the experience of the distant past, to develop and improve the method of studying human anatomy. However, the church, which hindered the development of the natural sciences, forbade the autopsy of human bodies, considering it sacrilege. The young anatomist Andreas Vesalius had to overcome many difficulties.

In order to be able to engage in anatomy, he used every opportunity. If money was in his pocket, he negotiated with the cemetery watchman, and then a corpse suitable for an autopsy fell into his hands. If there was no money, Vesalius, hiding from the watchman, opened the grave himself, without his knowledge. What to do, I had to take risks!

Vesalius studied the bones of the skeleton of humans and animals so well that he could name any bone without looking at them.

Andreas Vesalius spent three years at the university, and then circumstances developed so that he had to leave Paris and go to Louvain again.

There Vesalius got into an unpleasant story. He removed the corpse of the executed criminal from the gallows and performed an autopsy. The Louvain clergy demanded the strictest punishment for such blasphemy. Vesalius realized that disputes were useless here, and considered it good to leave Louvain and went to Italy.

After receiving in 1537 year of his doctorate, Andreas Vesalius began teaching anatomy and surgery at the University of Padua. The government of the Venetian Republic encouraged the development of natural science and sought to expand the work of scientists at this university.

The brilliant talent of the young scientist attracted attention. Twenty-two-year-old Vesalius, who had already received the title of Doctor of Medicine for his work, was appointed to the Department of Surgery with the duty of teaching anatomy.

Andreas gave lectures with inspiration, which always attracted many listeners, studied with students and, most importantly, continued his research. And the more deeply he studied the internal structure of the body, the more he became convinced that in the teachings of Galen there were many very significant mistakes, which were simply not noticed by those who were under the influence of Galen's authority.

For four long years he worked on his work. Vesalius studied, translated and republished the works of medical scientists of the past, his predecessors, anatomists. And in their writings, he found many mistakes "Even the greatest scientists," wrote Vesalius, "slavishly adhered to other people's mistakes and some strange style in their unusable manuals." The scientist began to trust the most authentic book - the book of the human body, in which there are no errors. At night, by candlelight, Andreas Vesalius dissected corpses. He set out to solve a great problem - to correctly describe the location, shape and function of the organs of the human body.

The result of the scientist's passionate and persistent work was the famous treatise in seven books, which appeared in 1543 year and entitled "On the structure of the human body." It was a gigantic scientific work in which, instead of obsolete dogmas, new scientific views were expounded. It reflected the cultural upsurge of humanity during the Renaissance.

All this work of Vesalius was intended for the benefit of a living person, the study of his body, in order to preserve his health and life. Each capital letter in the treatise is adorned with a drawing depicting children studying anatomy. So it was in ancient times, the art of anatomy was taught from childhood, knowledge was passed from father to son. The splendid artistic composition of the book's frontispiece depicts Andreas Vesalius during a public lecture and autopsy.

Vesalius' work excited the minds of scientists. The boldness of his scientific thought was so unusual that, along with the followers who appreciated his discoveries, he had many enemies. The great scientist experienced a lot of grief and disappointment when even his disciples left him. The famous Sylvius, the teacher of Vesalius, called Vesalius "Vesanus", which means insane. He opposed him with a harsh pamphlet, which he called "Defense against libel against the anatomical works of Hippocrates and Galen by a certain madman."

He did not disdain to turn to the emperor himself with a demand to approximately punish Vesalius: “I beg the Caesar Majesty,” wrote Professor Jacob Sylvius, “that he cruelly beat and generally curbed this monster of ignorance, ingratitude, impudence, the most pernicious example of wickedness, born and brought up in his house, as this monster deserves, so that with its plague breath it does not poison Europe. "

Andreas Vesalius foresaw how events would turn out after the publication of his treatise On the Structure of the Human Body. Earlier, he wrote: "... my work will be attacked by those who did not take up anatomy as zealously as it was in Italian schools, and who now, already in old age, languish with envy for the correct revelations of a young man."

Most of the eminent doctors really took the side of Sylvius. They joined in his demand to curb and punish Andreas Vesalius, who dared to criticize the great Galen. Such was the strength of the recognized authorities, such were the foundations of social life of the time when any innovation aroused suspicion, any bold speech that went beyond the established canons was regarded as free-thinking. These were the fruits of the centuries-old ideological monopoly of the church, which instilled inertness and routine.

Having opened dozens of corpses, having carefully studied the human skeleton, Vesalius came to the conclusion that the opinion that men have one rib less than women is completely wrong. But this belief went beyond medical science. It touched on church doctrine.

Vesalius did not reckon with another statement of the churchmen. In his time, the belief was preserved that there is a bone in the human skeleton that does not burn in fire, is indestructible. It allegedly contains a mysterious force, with the help of which a person will be resurrected on the day of the last judgment in order to appear before the Lord God. And although no one saw this bone, it was described in scientific works, no one doubted its existence. Vesalius, who described the structure of the human body, bluntly stated that while examining the human skeleton, he did not find a mysterious bone.

Andreas Vesalius was aware of the consequences of his actions against Galen. He understood that he was opposed to the prevailing opinion, offending the interests of the church. And he knew very well how they dealt with such impudent loners. The scientist continued to teach at the University of Padua, but every day the atmosphere around him grew more and more tense. It was bitter for him to part with Padua and the university, to interrupt his work and research. But he saw no other way out.

It was at this time that he received an invitation from the Spanish Emperor Charles V to take the place of the court physician. The Emperor's court was at that time in Brussels. Charles was still served by Vesalius' father, and the young professor accepted the emperor's offer. Of course, in Brussels he will not have a department, he will not be able to study with students. But on the other hand, the imperial court will serve as a reliable shelter for him from the persecution of the church, leaving the opportunity to study anatomy. Thus, the position of the court physician, although it was not to Vesalius' liking, had its advantages.

Yet it was difficult to find a more inappropriate position for Vesalius. He was a scientist, a researcher. Now he had to learn principles that were very far from science, the ability to please his noble patients, to catch their thoughts, to participate in all court ceremonies.

But even under these conditions, he did not stop the work to which he devoted his life. Andreas Vesalius devoted all his free time to the treatise On the Structure of the Human Body. He made amendments, additions, clarified what seemed to him not entirely convincing. Seizing every opportunity, he was engaged in anatomy. But the thought that he was divorced from scientific centers, that research activity had become a side business for him, oppressed Vesalius.

He dreamed of returning to the scientific department again. But in reality, Vesalius could not even think about leaving Brussels and moving to another place where he could do work to his liking. As soon as he left the imperial court, the Inquisition would again show interest in him. That is why, in the most dreary moments of his life, Vesalius convinced himself that he must come to terms with the circumstances.

A. Vesalius managed to publish his second edition of his treatise "On the structure of the human body." It was only a short happy moment for all these years, and then everything went the same. The monotonous days dragged on in a long succession.

But now the end of Vesalius's stay at the imperial court came. His patron Charles V abdicated the throne, retired to a monastery and soon died Philip II, a bilious and evil man, entered the throne. He did not like Vesalius and openly expressed his dislike to him. Numerous envious people and enemies of the court doctor hastened to take advantage of this. The attitude of the new emperor towards Vesalius deteriorated even more. Vesalius felt that he needed to leave Brussels as soon as possible. He made an attempt to break free from the power of the new emperor, asked to let him go to Italy. But the wayward Philip categorically opposed this.

Under Philip, Vesalius again touched upon the severe prohibitions of the church to dissect corpses. To violate them meant to enter into open conflict with the church. Vesalius wrote with bitterness about this time - "I could not touch my hand even to a dry skull, and the less opportunity I had to perform autopsies."

But no matter how hard Andreas Vesalius tried not to give the church a reason for any accusations, it turned out to be beyond his power. Vesalius was again flooded with slander. To top it off, he was falsely charged with dissecting a living person.

Vesalius tried to prove his innocence, but it was all in vain. He had to obey. The verdict of the church was categorical: the court physician Andreas Vesalius had to go to worship in the "holy places" to the Holy Sepulcher in atonement for his sins ...

V 1564 year Vesalius with his wife and daughter left Madrid. Leaving his family in Brussels, he set off on a long journey alone. On the way to Jerusalem, the scientist stopped in his beloved Venice, where he spent the best years of his creative life.

The writing of Andreas Vesalius provoked, as one would expect, violent attacks from the obscurantists, against whom Vesalius defended himself with several polemical writings. WITH 1544 Mr., as a physician to Emperor Charles V, Andreas accompanied him on all his travels, but under his son, Philip II, the Spanish Inquisition managed to capture a long-awaited enemy. Accused that during the autopsy, the deceased's heart revealed some signs of life, Andreas Vesalius was sentenced to death. Only thanks to the intercession of Philip II, the death penalty was replaced by a pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulcher.

On the way back, the storm threw the unfortunate scientist to the island of Zante (Republic of Venice), where Andreas Vesalius died on October 15 1564 of the year.

Andreas Vesalius (Andreas Vesalius, 1514 - 1564) - the famous doctor of the Middle Ages, one of the founders of anatomy went down in the history of emergency medicine, as the author of one of the first written descriptions of the operation of tracheostomy, performed by him in an experiment on an animal for the purpose of artificial ventilation of the lungs (1543 G.).

Childhood and adolescence of Andreas Vesalius. Andreas Vesalius was born on December 31, 1514 (or January 1, 1515) in Brussels (Belgium), into a family that included several famous doctors among their ancestors. For example, his grandfather was the author of the book Commentaries on the Aphorisms of Hippocrates. His great-grandfather, paternal grandfather, and his father all served as court doctors. His father was a pharmacist at the court of Emperor Maximilian, then served his son Charles V. Vesalius was born and recorded in the metrics as Andreas van Wesel, but later he changed his name and surname to Latin, and became Andreas Vesalius, following the spirit of the times and fashionable innovations of the Renaissance

Andreas spent his childhood in Brussels. Very early on, Andreas developed a respect and love for the medical profession. And this is not surprising, since at home, events from the medical life of the city and the royal court were a constant topic of conversation. The family carefully kept thick medical treatises inherited from their glorious ancestors. The father always shared with the family the stories of his meetings with high-ranking patients. Since Andreas's father was often absent from home due to the need to follow the court of the emperor, who started one or another military campaign in Austria or Spain, the upbringing of his son was mainly carried out by Isabel Crabbe's mother. A cultured woman, she has always respected medical traditions at home. First, she herself began to read old medical treatises to her son, then she tried to encourage her son's growing interest in medicine. All this contributed to the decision of Andreas to take the path of independent study of nature. Already in childhood, Vesalius experienced a great craving for the study of anatomy. In the fields near his house, he looked for the corpses of dead animals (mice, birds, dogs), which he then dissected. The father understood that the home teaching of his son, even with his great desire for knowledge, could not be thorough. Therefore, Vesalius first graduated from the Brussels school "Brothers of the Common Life", and then, in 1528, he was admitted to study at the palace college "Castle College" at the University of Louvain. There he took a course in natural philosophy. During his college years, he also studied Greek, Latin, Hebrew, rhetoric, philosophy, mathematics and music, but Andreas always showed his greatest interest in the natural sciences, especially in anatomy, dissection of mice, rats and dogs.

Studying at the University of Paris. The training of students of the medical faculty of anatomy took place in full accordance with the medieval approaches in teaching medicine, that is, it was very bad. Practical classes in anatomy were conducted by demonstrators recruited from barbers-surgeons. While they were dissecting the corpses, the senior demonstrator read to the students the works of Galen, whose teaching was considered holy and irrefutable. Subsequently, Vesalius brutally mocked the autopsy procedure at the University of Paris

Young Vesalius was firmly convinced that the best way to learn anatomy was through hands-on dissection on cadavers, not learning from ignorant barbers. In his conviction, he followed the favorite Latin dictum: "Tangitis res vestries minibus, et his credit (you touch with your own hands and trust them)." were soon noted by professors and students. Already in the third demonstration lesson in anatomy, he was entrusted with the dissection of a corpse. As Vesalius later noted in one of his books, it was the corpse of a hanged prostitute. His fame among students and teachers began to grow day by day, and he soon became a recognized expert in the faculty for the preparation of limbs and abdominal muscles. The confidence of the teachers in the talented student helped to improve his preparation skills. As biographers point out, at the age of 20, Vesalius made his first discovery, proving that in humans, the lower jaw, contrary to Galen's data, is an unpaired bone. These were the first steps in the transformation of a young medical student into an anatomy reformer.

Further development of Vesalius as an anatomical scientist. Vesalius left the University of Paris with a good store of knowledge. He skillfully mastered anatomical technique and thoroughly knew the anatomy of Galen, except for which, as Gunther and Sylvius taught him, there is no other anatomy. The level of knowledge and experience of Vesalius as a dissector can be judged by the remark of Gunther, who in the Basel edition of Galen's Anatomical Exercises (1536), assessing Vesalius's participation in the preparation of the book, wrote about him as a “young, promising man. Hercules with high hopes, extraordinary knowledge of medicine, bilingual, very skillful in the anatomy of a corpse. "

However, Vesalius did not receive his Bachelor of Medicine degree in Paris. In 1536, Emperor Charles V invaded France and the Franco-German war broke out. These events forced Vesalius to leave Paris. In order to continue his studies, Vesalius returned to the University of Louvain Leuvan, where he continues to engage in the dissection of corpses. Once the corpse of a hanged criminal was secretly delivered to him in parts, within several days he collected a whole skeleton. In this work he was assisted by his friend Reguier Gemme, who later became a famous mathematician. This became known to the authorities of Louvain. Robbery of graves was terribly punishable at that time, but Vesalius managed to convince the city authorities that he had brought this skeleton from Paris.

Apparently, Vesalius could find a common language with the city authorities, since already in 1536 he managed to organize the first public anatomical dissection of a corpse. He performed the preparation himself, and at the same time delivered a lecture to the assembled audience. These public anatomical lectures were then held in Louvain for 18 years. Only in the spring of 1537, Vesalius received a bachelor's degree in medicine. During this Louvain period of his life, Andreas Vesalius wrote his first pamphlet, which was a commentary on the 9th book "Almansor" by Razi, and which was entitled "On the treatment of diseases from head to feet." In the same year, Vesalius moved to Italy. For several months he practiced medicine and anatomy in Venice and on December 5, 1537 in the city of Padua, he received his doctorate in medicine with the appointment of him to the post of professor of surgery and anatomy of the University of Padua. The most fruitful Padua period of his activity begins (15381543).

Vesalius' activities in Padua. The position of professor of anatomy and surgery at the University of Padua gave Vesalius the opportunity to realize his pedagogical ideas and widely expand scientific research in anatomy. For this it was necessary to create new textbooks of anatomy, for the works of Galen were replete with inaccuracies and errors. Based on the results of his preparations, Vesalius began work. He understood that a good textbook should contain accurate illustrations of parts of the human body. This was greatly supported by his friend Jan Stefan van Kalkar, a student of Titian himself. And already in 1538, Vesalius published six anatomical tables in Venice, they were his first drawings on anatomy that appeared. In these figures, which together with the text make up his famous work "Tabulae Anatomicae Sex",

In the tables, Vesalius refined and supplemented the anatomical terminology, illustrated new data on the structure of the human body. Convinced that many of Galen's anatomical texts were based on the results of animal autopsies and, therefore, did not reflect the specifics of human anatomy, Vesalius decided to undertake experimental studies of the human body. The result was a treatise "On the structure of the human body" (De humani corporis fabrica, 1543). This masterpiece "De Humani Corporis Fabrica" included seven books with 11 large engravings and 300 illustrations. Henry Sigerist, the famous Swiss medical historian, pointed out that De Fabrica was the new starting point for medical science. This book put Vesalius on a par with other prominent figures of the Renaissance.

Vesalius' contribution to the theory and practice of critical care medicine. In the seventh book of the treatise "On the structure of the human body" Vesalius described a tracheostomy performed in an experiment on an animal for the purpose of mechanical ventilation. He writes: “In order for life to return to the animal, it is necessary to make a hole in the trunk of the windpipe, where you need to insert a tube made of reeds or reeds and blow into it, so that the lung rises and delivers air to the animal. It is when blowing in ... the strength will return to the heart. " A few lines below, Vesalius gives a classic description of cardiac fibrillation that occurs after the cessation of mechanical ventilation: “... when the lung collapses for a long time, the pulse is seen and the movement of the heart and arteries is wavy, like a nervous tremor, worm-like, and when the lung is inflated, it becomes large again and quickly and amazingly moves unevenly. "

Other clinical discoveries by Vesalius. Although Vesalius' clinical career was not exhaustive, he was one of the first to note and describe aneurysm. In addition, Vesalius contributed to the return from oblivion of the ancient method of Hippocrates - drainage of chest emphysema. Vesalius made an enormous contribution to the development of anatomical terminology. He introduced into it such words as alveoli, choana, anvil in the inner ear, mitral valve of the heart (he used the association with bishop's miter), and many others. While still a student, he opened the seminal vessels, described the femur unmistakably. Reaffirming Hippocrates' theory that the brain can be damaged without breaking the skull; refuted Galen's claims that the lower jaw consists of two bones, not one, and that the sternum has seven segments, not three. He also questioned Galen's theory of patency of the interventricular septum. This helped his student Colombus describe pulmonary circulation, and William Harvey explained the circulation of blood in the body. By the way, it was Vesalius who performed the very first preparation of the skeleton in the world.

The last years of Vesalius's life. In 1543, Vesalius became the court physician of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, acquired an extensive private practice and a high reputation. After the abdication of Charles V in 1556, he entered the service of his son Philip II, King of Spain. During the reign of Philip II, Vesalius gained fame as a clinician because of his two famous patients. The first was Henry II, King of France, who suffered a severe head injury during a knightly tournament. Vesalius traveled to Paris to assist another famous physician, Ambrosie Pare. As soon as Vesalius arrived in Paris, he performed preliminary research, unknown to the Parisian medics, using clean white clothes, which he asked the king to bite in his mouth. Then he tugged sharply on the fabric. Henry II threw his hands back and screamed in pain. From the point of view of modern neuropathologists and neurosurgeons, this Vesalius technique belongs to one of the methods for identifying meningeal irritation. Vesalius predicted that the king would die in a few days. It happened 8 days after his consultation.

Vesalius asked permission from the family of a deceased Spanish nobleman to perform an autopsy on the deceased in order to find the cause of his death. The autopsy was performed in the presence of witnesses. When the heart was examined, the witness saw the heartbeat and it was concluded that the patient was still alive. The shocked family accused Vesalius of the murder and filed a complaint with the Inquisition. King Philip II petitioned to change the sentence. There was no doubt that without the help of the king, there would be only one sentence - burning at the stake. In order to atone for his sins and preserve his life, Vesalius had to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Vesalius decided to make this trip to the Holy Land before the start of the new semester at the university. Vesalius fell ill during a long and stormy sea voyage in which food and water supplies were depleted. He died for unknown reasons on October 14, 1564 at the age of 50, shortly after reaching the Zante Islands near Greece.

1564 (49 years old)

Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564) - naturalist, founder of anatomy. Born in Brussels. Vesalius' activities took place in many European countries. He was one of the first to study the human body by dissection. In the main work "On the structure of the human body" (kn. 1-7, 1543) Vesalius gave a scientific description of the structure of all organs and systems, pointed out many mistakes of his predecessors, including Galen. Persecuted by the church. Killed in shipwreck.

Andreas Vesalius is rightly considered the creator of modern anatomy and the founder of the school of anatomists. He also enjoyed success as a practicing physician.

Andreas Vesalius was born in 1514 in Brussels into a family of hereditary doctors. His grandfather and great-grandfather were doctors, and his father served as a pharmacist at the court of Emperor Charles V. The interests of those around him undoubtedly influenced the interests and aspirations of young Vesalius. Andreas studied first at school, and then at the University of Louvain, where he received a versatile education, studied Greek and Latin, thanks to which he could get acquainted with the works of scientists already in his youth. Obviously, he read many books about medicine by ancient and contemporary scientists, since his works speak of deep knowledge. Vesalius independently assembled a complete human skeleton from the bones of the executed. This was the first anatomical manual in Europe.

The science of the structure of the human body is the most worthy field of knowledge for man and deserves extraordinary approval; the most outstanding in their deeds and in the pursuit of philosophical disciplines, the men of Rome were pleased to devote all their strength to her.

Vesalius Andreas

Seeking to improve his knowledge in the field of medicine, especially anatomy, Andreas Vesalius at the age of seventeen went to the University of Montpellier, and in 1533 he first appeared at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Paris to listen to the lectures of the famous enatom Sylvius. Young Vesalius could already critically approach the method of teaching anatomy.

Only the creations of reason are eternal, the rest is the lot of death.

Vesalius Andreas

Vesalius studied the bones of the skeleton of humans and animals so well that he could name any bone without looking at them.

Andreas Vesalius spent three years at the university, and then circumstances developed so that he had to leave Paris and go to Louvain again.

After receiving his doctorate in 1537, Andreas Vesalius began teaching anatomy and surgery at the University of Padua. The government of the Venetian Republic encouraged the development of natural science and sought to expand the work of scientists at this university.

The result of the scientist's passionate and persistent work was the famous treatise in seven books, published in 1543 and entitled "On the structure of the human body." It was a gigantic scientific work in which, instead of obsolete dogmas, new scientific views were expounded. It reflected the cultural upsurge of humanity during the Renaissance.

Typography developed rapidly in Venice and Basel, where Andreas Vesalius published his work. His book is adorned with beautiful drawings by the artist Stefan Kalkar, a student of Titian.It is characteristic that the skeletons depicted in the drawings stand in poses typical of living people, and the landscapes surrounding some of the skeletons speak more of life than death. All this work of Vesalius was intended for the benefit of a living person, the study of his body, in order to preserve his health and life. Each capital letter in the treatise is adorned with a drawing depicting children studying anatomy. So it was in ancient times, the art of anatomy was taught from childhood, knowledge was passed from father to son. The splendid artistic composition of the book's frontispiece depicts Andreas Vesalius during a public lecture and autopsy.

In 1564, Vesalius left Madrid with his wife and daughter. Leaving his family in Brussels, he set off on a long journey alone. On the way to Jerusalem, the scientist stopped in his beloved Venice, where he spent the best years of his creative life.

Vesalius did not abandon the thought of returning to her beloved science. There is speculation that the Senate of Venice suggested that he again take the chair at the University of Padua. But the scientist's dream to return to science did not come true. On the way back from Jerusalem during a shipwreck, the sick Vesalius was thrown to the island of Zante (Greece), where he died in 1564. We do not know the place of his burial, but his great work on the structure of the human body is the best monument to the scientist, the fighter for progressive science. (Samin D.K. 100 great scientists. - M .: Veche, 2000)

More about Andreas Vesalius:

Vesalius (Andrei Vesalius) - the famous surgeon and the founder of the newest anatomy, was born on December 31, 1514 in Brussels, in a family that numbered several famous doctors among their ancestors (his grandfather was the author of the essay "Comments on the aphorisms of Hippocrates").

Andreas Vesalius was educated in Louvain, Paris and Montpellier and especially devoted himself to the study of human anatomy, with danger to life, due to the prejudices of his time, taking out human corpses. It is said that even Andreas himself, before each dissection of the corpse, fervently asked God for forgiveness for the fact that in the interests of science he was looking for the secret of life in death.

He soon gained fame as an experienced surgeon and was invited to lecture on anatomy in Basel, Padua, Bologna and Pisa. In 1543, Andreas Vesalius published his famous work "De corroris humani fabrica libri septem" (Basel), which opened a new era in the history of anatomy: the authority of Galen was finally overthrown and human anatomy was set on the basis of precise experimental research.

The writing of Andreas Vesalius provoked, as one would expect, violent attacks from the obscurantists, against whom Vesalius defended himself with several polemical writings. Since 1544, as a physician to Emperor Charles V, Andreas accompanied him on all his travels, but under his son, Philip II, the Spanish Inquisition managed to capture a long-awaited enemy. Accused that during the autopsy, the deceased's heart revealed some signs of life, Andreas Vesalius was sentenced to death. Only thanks to the intercession of Philip II, the death penalty was replaced by a pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulcher.

On the way back, a storm threw the unfortunate scientist to the island of Zante, where Andreas Vesalius died (1564). Complete collection op. V. published by Burghav and Albin (Leiden, 2 volumes, 1725).

Andreas Vesalius - quotes

... The science of the structure of the human body is the most worthy area of knowledge for a person and deserves extreme approval; the most outstanding in their deeds and in the pursuit of philosophical disciplines, the men of Rome were pleased to devote all their strength to her.

Only the creations of reason are eternal, the rest is the lot of death.

On the topic: "Andreas Vesalius is the father of modern anatomy"

Isakova Alla Shaditovna

Andreas Vesalius - Founder of Anatomy

If anyone can be called the father of anatomy, it is, of course, Vesalius. Andreas Vesalius, natural scientist, founder and creator of modern anatomy, was one of the first to study the human body through dissection. All later anatomical acquisitions originate from him.

Andreas was born in Brussels on December 31, 1514 and grew up among doctors who visited his father's house. From a young age he used a rich library of medical treatises collected in the family and passed down from generation to generation. Thanks to this, the young and talented Andreas developed an interest in the study of medicine. I must say that he possessed extraordinary erudition: he remembered all the discoveries made by various authors, and commented on them in his writings.

Andreas Vesalius early discovered a penchant for anatomy. In his free time from university studies, he with great enthusiasm opened and carefully dissected pets. This passion did not go unnoticed. The court doctor and friend of Andreas's father Nikolai Floren, who was interested in the fate of the young man, recommended that he study medicine, and only in Paris. Subsequently, in 1539, Vesalius dedicated his work "The Epistle of Bloodletting" to Florent, calling him his second father.

In 1533 Andreas went to study medicine in Paris. Here for three or four years he has been studying anatomy, listening to lectures by an Italian doctor better known as Vidius and Jacques Debois. He was one of the first to begin anatomical studies of the structure of the vena cava, peritoneum, etc. on human corpses; invented injecting blood vessels with dyes; described the appendix, the structure of the liver, the position of the vena cava, opened the vein valves, etc.

Vesalius also attended lectures by "modern Galen," as Fernel was called the best doctor in Europe. Jacques François Fernel, mathematician, astronomer, philosopher and physician, introduced several key concepts into medicine: "physiology" and "pathology". He wrote a lot about syphilis and other diseases, studied, among other things, epilepsy and precisely distinguished the types of this disease. In 1530, the Paris Faculty of Medicine awarded him the degree of Doctor of Medicine, in 1534 he received the title of Professor of Medicine. He was called the first doctor in France and one of the most venerable in Europe.

Vesalius did not limit himself to attending the lectures of Sylvius and Fernel, he also studied with Johann Gunther, a Swiss from Anderlecht, who was teaching anatomy and surgery in Paris at that time. Vesalius developed a more cordial relationship with Gunther than with Sylvius. Gunther greatly appreciated his student.

Anatomy classes involve practice on human material. Vesalius needed the corpses of dead people for anatomical studies. But there have always been great difficulties with this issue. This occupation, as you know, was never a godly deed; the church traditionally rebelled against it. Herophilus was probably the only doctor who, while opening corpses in Museion, was not persecuted for this. Carried away by the passion of scientific research, Vesalius went to the cemetery alone at night and there challenged the half-rotten prey with stray dogs.

After spending more than three years in Paris, in 1536 Vesalius returned to Louvain, where he continued to do what he loved with his friend Gemma Frisius (1508-1555), who later became a famous doctor. Vesalius made his first bound skeleton with great difficulty. Together with Frisius, they stole the corpses of the executed, sometimes taking them out in parts, climbing the gallows with danger to their lives. At night, they hid body parts in the roadside bushes, and then, using various opportunities, brought them home, where they cut off soft tissues and boiled bones. All this had to be done in the deepest secrecy.

Vesalius got into an argument with a professor at the University of Louvain, Driver (1504-1554) about how best to produce bloodletting. On this issue, two opposite opinions developed: Hippocrates and Galen taught that bloodletting should be done from the side of the diseased organ, the Arabs and Avicenna suggested doing it from the opposite side of the diseased organ. Driver spoke out in support of Avicenna, Vesalius - Hippocrates and Galen. Driver was indignant at the insolence of the young doctor and sharply answered him and since then began to dislike Vesalius. Vesalius felt that it would be difficult for him to continue working in Louvain.

I had to go somewhere for a while. But where! In Spain, the church was omnipotent; the touch of a knife to the corpse of a person was considered desecration of the deceased and was completely impossible; in Belgium and France, autopsies were very difficult. Vesalius travels to the Venetian Republic, attracted by the opportunity to gain more freedom for anatomical research. The University of Padua, founded in 1222, became subject to Venice in 1440. The Faculty of Medicine has become the most famous medical school in Europe. Padua greeted Vesalius favorably, there were already known his works "Anatomical establishments" by Gunther and "Paraphrase" Razi.

On December 5, 1537, the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Padua, at a solemn meeting, awarded him the degree of Doctor of Medicine, with the highest honors. After Vesalius publicly demonstrated the autopsy, the Senate of the Venetian Republic appointed him professor of surgery with a commitment to teaching anatomy. He became a professor at the age of 23. His bright lectures attracted listeners from all faculties. Soon, to the sound of trumpets and flying flags, he was proclaimed a doctor at the palace of the Bishop of Padua.

The active nature of Vesalius could not put up with the routine that reigned in the departments of anatomy of many universities, where professors monotonously read long excerpts from the works of Galen. Autopsies were carried out by illiterate ministers, and professors with a voluminous volume of Galen in their hands stood nearby and from time to time pointed a stick at various organs as they were mentioned in the text

In 1538 Vesalius published anatomical tables - 6 sheets of drawings, engraved by a student of Titian, the artist S. Kalkar. In the same year he undertook a reprint of Galen's works and a year later he published his "Letters on Bloodletting". Working on the release of the works of his predecessors, Vesalius was convinced that they described the structure of the human body on the basis of the section of the organs of the body of animals, transmitting erroneous information legalized by time and tradition. Studying the human body by autopsy, Vesalius has accumulated indisputable facts, which he decided to boldly oppose to the canons of the past. During his four years in Padua, Vesalius wrote his immortal work "On the structure of the human body" (Book 1-7), which was published in Basel in 1543 and was richly illustrated. It provides a description of the structure of organs and systems, indicates the numerous mistakes of predecessors, incl. Galena. It should be especially emphasized that after the appearance of Vesalius' treatise, Galen's authority was shaken and then overthrown.

By coincidence, the treatise appeared in the year of Copernicus's death, and at the same time Copernicus's book "On the Circulation of Celestial Bodies" was published, which revolutionized not only astronomy, but also the worldview of people. By the way, the merchant's son, Canon Copernicus, knew a lot about anatomy, at one time he studied at the medical faculty of the University of Padua, and upon returning to Poland from 1504 to 1512 he was engaged in healing with his uncle Bishop Vachenrode.

Vesalius' work was the beginning of modern anatomy; in it, for the first time in the history of anatomy, not a speculative, but a completely scientific description of the structure of the human body was given, based on experimental research.

The father of anatomy, Vesalius contributed immensely to anatomical terminology in Latin. Taking as a basis the names introduced by Aulus Cornelius Celsus (1st century BC), Vesalius gave uniformity to anatomical terminology, threw away, with extremely rare exceptions, all medieval barbarisms. At the same time, he reduced Greekism to a minimum, which to some extent can be explained by his rejection of many of the provisions of Galenian medicine. It is noteworthy that being an innovator in anatomy, Vesalius believed that the bearer of the psychic are "animal spirits" that are produced in the ventricles of the brain. This look was reminiscent of the theory of Galen, for these "spirits" were just a renamed "psychic pneuma" of the ancients.

Vesalius' work "On the structure of the human body" is not only the result of the study of previous achievements in anatomy, but also a scientific discovery based on new research methods that were of great revolutionary importance in the science of that time. Lavishing diplomatic praise for the "divine husband" Galen and expressing surprise at the vastness of his mind and versatility of knowledge, Vesalius decides to point out only some "inaccuracies" in his teaching. But he numbers more than 200 such inaccuracies, and they are, in essence, a refutation of the main provisions of the teachings of Galen. Vesalius, in particular, was the first to refute the erroneous opinion of Galen and his other predecessors that there are supposedly holes in the human cardiac septum through which blood passes from the right ventricle of the heart to the left. He showed that the right and left ventricles of the heart in the postembryonic period do not communicate with each other. However, from this discovery, which fundamentally refuted Galen's ideas about the physiological mechanism of blood circulation, Vesalius did not draw the correct conclusions, they were later made by Harvey.

After the publication of the great work of Vesalius, a long-brewing storm broke out. Sylvius, the teacher of Vesalius, bowing to the authority of Galen, considered abnormal in the human body everything that did not agree with the description or gaze of the great Roman. For this reason, he rejected the discoveries of his student Vesalius. Without hiding his indignation, he calls Vesalius "a proud man, a slanderer, a monster, whose unholy breath infects Europe." Sylvius and his students made a united front against Vesalius, calling him an ignoramus and a blasphemer. However, Sylvius did not limit himself to insults, he writes a sharp pamphlet "Refutation of the slander of a certain madman on the anatomical works of Hippocrates and Galen, compiled by Jacob Sylvius, the royal interpreter on medical issues in Paris" (1555) Sylvius, in 28 chapters of this pamphlet, makes fun of his former pupil friend, calling him not Vesalius, but "Vesanus", which in Latin means "mad", and, in the end, renounces him.

The pamphlet Sylvia played a fatal role in the life of Vesalius. This document, imbued with malicious and jealous envy, united the enemies of the father of anatomy and created an atmosphere of public contempt around his immaculate name among the conservative camp of the then medical scientists. Vesalius was accused of a disrespectful attitude to the teachings of Hippocrates and Galen, which were formally canonized by the then omnipotent Catholic Church, but their judgments and especially their authority were accepted as indisputable truths of Scripture, and to object to them was tantamount to rejection of the latter. In addition, Vesalius was a student of Sylvius, used his scientific advice, and if Sylvius reproached Vesalius for slander, then the accusation incriminated by him seemed plausible. Sylvius did not unselfishly defend Galen's authority. His indignation was due to the fact that, undermining the authority of Galen, Vesalius destroyed himself, because Sylvia's knowledge rested on the texts of the classics of medicine carefully studied and transmitted to students.

The pamphlet Sylvia inflicted a mortal wound on Vesalius, from which he never recovered. In Padua, opposition to the scientific views of Vesalius arose. One of his most active opponents was his student and deputy at the department, Reald Colombo (c. 1516-1559). After the appearance of the insinuation, Sylvia Colombo sharply changed his attitude towards his teacher: he began to criticize, tried to discredit in front of students. In 1544, when Vesalius left Padua, Colombo was appointed to the Department of Anatomy, but worked as a professor in the department for only a year. In 1545 he moved to the University of Pisa, and then, in 1551, took a chair in Rome, where he worked until his death. Gabriel Fallopius (1523-1562) succeeded Colombo at the Padua cathedral and declared himself the heir and disciple of Vesalius, continuing with honor his tradition.

Sylvius's malicious inventions led to the desperate Vesalius to stop his research work and burn part of his manuscripts and materials collected for further work. Vesalius was forced to enter the field of medical practice in 1544, to the service of Charles V. At that time, Charles V was at war with France, and Vesalius, as the chief military surgeon, had to go to the theater of operations. The war ended in September 1544, and Vesalius left for Brussels, where his father soon died. After the death of his father, Vesalius inherited an inheritance, and he decided to start a family. Charles V arrived in Brussels in January 1545, and Vesalius was to assume the duties of the emperor's attending physician. Karl suffered from gout and was notable for excessive eating. Vesalius had to make a titanic effort to alleviate the suffering of the emperor. After the abdication of Charles V, in 1555, Vesalius went into the service of his son, Philip II. In 1559, Philip II and his court moved from Brussels to Madrid, and Vesalius and his family followed him.

The Spanish Inquisition began to mercilessly persecute Vesalius, accusing him that, while dissecting a corpse, he allegedly stabbed a living person, and in the end sentenced him to death. And only thanks to the intercession of Philip II, the execution was replaced by a pilgrimage to Palestine to the Holy Sepulcher. Returning back from this dangerous and difficult journey at that time, at the entrance to the Strait of Corinth, Vesalius' ship crashed, and the father of modern anatomy was thrown to the small island of Zante, where he fell seriously ill and died on October 2, 1564, 50 years old. On this secluded island covered with pine trees, the soul of the great anatomist rested forever.

Today we will talk about such a great scientist as Andreas Vesalius. You will find his photo and biography in this article. If anyone can be considered the father of anatomy, then, of course, Vesalius. He is a natural scientist, creator and founder of modern anatomy. He was one of the first to study the human body by dissection. It is from him that all later achievements in anatomy originate.

Andreas Vesalius worked in a very difficult time. The century in which he lived was marked by the dominance of the church in all areas of life, including medicine. were prohibited, and violations of this prohibition were severely punished. However, Andreas Vesalius did not intend to retreat at all. The contribution to biology of this scientist would have been much smaller if he had not dared to step over the prohibitions and traditions. But, like many of those who were ahead of their time, he paid for his bold ideas.

Want to know more about a great man like Andreas Vesalius, whose contribution to biology is invaluable? We suggest you get to know him better by reading this article.

Vesalius' origin

Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564) belongs to the Whiting family who lived in Nimwegen for a long time. Several generations of his family were medical scientists. For example, the great-great-grandfather of Andreas, Peter, was the rector and professor of the University of Louvain, a doctor himself. Being a bibliophile and carried away by treatises on medicine, he spared no expense in acquiring manuscripts, spending part of his fortune on them. Peter wrote a commentary on the fourth book of Avicenna, the great oriental encyclopedist. The book is called The Canon of Medicine.

Andreas' great-grandfather, John, was also a teacher. He worked at the University of Louvain, where he lectured in mathematics and was also a physician. Everard, the son of John and the grandfather of Andreas, also followed in his father's footsteps, realizing himself in medicine. Andreas, father of Andreas Vesalius, served as a pharmacist for Charles V's aunt, Princess Margaret. Francis, the younger brother of our hero, was also fond of medicine and became a doctor.

The childhood of the future scientist

On December 31, 1514, Andreas Vesalius was born. He was born in Brussels and grew up among doctors who visited his father's house. From a very young age, Andreas used the library of treatises on medicine, passed in this family from generation to generation. He developed an interest in this area of knowledge. It should be said that Andreas was unusually erudite. He remembered all the discoveries that were made by different authors and commented on them in his writings.

Study at the University of Louvain and at the College of Education

Andreas received a classical education in Brussels at the age of 16. In 1530 he became a student at the University of Louvain. It was founded in 1426 by Johann IV of Brabant. The university was closed after the start of the French Revolution. Students began to study there again in 1817. Latin and Greek, rhetoric and mathematics were taught here. In order to advance in science, one had to have a good knowledge of the languages of antiquity. Andreas, dissatisfied with his teaching, moved in 1531 to the College of Education, which was founded in 1517 in Louvain.

Vesalius' classes in Paris

Quite early, the future scientist Andreas Vesalius became interested in anatomy. With great enthusiasm, in his free time, Andreas opened the corpses of domestic animals and dissected them. Nikolai Floren, a friend of his father and a court doctor, recommended that the young man go to Paris to study medicine. Later, in 1539, Andreas dedicated his work "The Epistle on Bloodletting" to this man, in which he called him the second father.

So, Vesalius in 1533 went to Paris to study medicine. He has been studying anatomy here for 3-4 years, listening to lectures by a doctor from Italy, Guido-Guidi, better known as Jacques Dubois or Sylvius, who was one of the first to study the anatomical structure of the peritoneum, vena cava, etc. on human corpses. Sylvius lectured brilliantly. Vesalius also listened to Fernel, who was called the best doctor in Europe.

Andreas, however, did not confine himself to the lectures of these two physicians. He also studied under Johann Gunther, who taught surgery and anatomy in Paris. He previously lectured on the Greek language at the University of Louvain, after which he moved to Paris (in 1527), where he studied anatomy. Vesalius established a cordial relationship with Gunther.

Difficulties associated with autopsy

For anatomical studies, Vesalius needed the corpses of the dead. However, this issue has always been associated with great difficulties. As you know, this occupation was never considered a godly deed. The church traditionally rebelled against him. Probably Herophilus was the only doctor who opened corpses and was not prosecuted for it. Vesalius, carried away by his scientific interest, went to the cemetery of the Innocents. He also came to the place of execution of Villard de Montfaucon, where he challenged the body of this abbot among stray dogs.

In 1376, at the University of Montpellier, where anatomy was the main subject, doctors received permission to open the corpse of an executed criminal annually. This permission was given to them by the brother of Charles V, Louis of Anjou, who was the ruler of Languedoc. It was very important for the development of medicine and anatomy. Subsequently, this permission was confirmed by the French king, and then by Charles VIII. In 1496, the latter confirmed it with a letter.

Return to Louvain, continued exploration

Vesalius, having spent more than 3 years in Paris, returned to Louvain. Here he continued to study anatomy with Gemma Frisius, his friend, who later became a famous doctor. It was difficult for Andreas Vesalius to make the first connected skeleton. Together with his friend, he abducted the corpses of those executed, sometimes extracting them piece by piece. With danger to his life, Andreas climbed the gallows. At night, friends hid parts of the body in the roadside bushes, after which, using various occasions, they brought them home. At home, soft tissues were cut off and bones were digested. All this had to be done in the strictest confidence. The attitude towards official autopsies was quite different. Adrian of Blegen, burgomaster of Louvain, did not interfere with them. On the contrary, he patronized young doctors, sometimes attended autopsies.

Disputes with Driver

Andreas Vesalius was arguing with Driver, a professor at the University of Louvain, about how bloodletting should be done. Two opposing opinions have developed on this issue. Galen and Hippocrates taught that bloodletting should be carried out from the side of the diseased organ. Avicenna and the Arabs believed that this should be done from the opposite side. Driver supported Avicena, and Andreas supported Galen and Hippocrates. Driver was outraged at the young doctor's insolence. However, he answered him sharply. After that, Driver began to treat Vesalius with hostility. Andreas felt that it would be difficult for him to continue working in Louvain.

Vesalius goes to Venice

I had to go somewhere for a while. But where? Spain disappears - here the Church had great power, and autopsies were seen as desecration of the deceased. It was completely impossible. In France and Belgium, the study of anatomy was also very difficult. Therefore Vesalius went to He was attracted by the possibility of some freedom for his anatomical studies. Founded in 1222, the University of Padua in 1440 became subject to Venice. The most famous medical school in Europe is its medical faculty. Padua received favorably such a promising scientist as Andreas Vesalius, whose main services were known to his professors.

Andreas becomes professor

On December 5, 1537, the University of Padua awarded Vesalius, at a solemn meeting, his doctorate, with highest distinction. And after Andreas showed the autopsy, he was appointed professor of surgery. Vesalius' duties henceforth included teaching anatomy. So at the age of 23, Andreas became a professor. The audience was attracted by his bright lectures. Soon, under fluttering flags and the sound of trumpets, Andreas was appointed doctor at the court of the Bishop of Padua himself.

Vesalius had an active nature. He could not come to terms with the routine that dominated the anatomy departments of various universities. Many professors simply recited excerpts from Galen's writings in monotone. Autopsies were carried out by uneducated ministers, and lecturers stood next to Galen's volume in their hands and from time to time pointed to various organs with a stick.

The first works of Vesalius

Vesalius published anatomical tables in 1538. They consisted of six sheets of drawings. The engravings were made by S. Kalkar, a student of Titian. In the same year, Vesalius republished the works of Galen. A year later, his own work, Letters on Bloodletting, appeared.

Andreas Vesalius, working on the publication of the works of his predecessors, made sure that they described the structure of the human body based on the dissection of animals. In this way, erroneous information was transmitted, which was legalized by tradition and time. Studying the human body by dissection, Vesalius has accumulated facts that he boldly opposed to generally recognized canons.

"On the structure of the human body"

Andreas Vesalius during 4 years, while he was in Padua, wrote an immortal work entitled "On the structure of the human body" (book 1-7). It was published in Basel in 1543 and was filled with many illustrations. In this work, Andreas Vesalius (the cover photo of the work is presented above) gave a description of the structure of various systems and organs, pointed out many mistakes made by his predecessors, including Galen. It should be especially noted that the authority of Galen after the appearance of this treatise was shaken, and after a while it was completely overthrown.

Vesalius' work laid the foundation for modern anatomy. In this work, for the first time in history, a completely scientific, and not speculative, description of the structure of the human body was given, which was based on experimental study.

Andreas Vesalius, the founder of modern anatomy, made a great contribution to its terminology on the basis he took the names that he introduced in the 1st century. BC. Aulus Cornelius Celsus, "Cicero of Medicine" and "Latin Hippocrates".

Andreas brought uniformity to the anatomical terminology. With rare exceptions, he threw out of it all the barbarism of the Middle Ages. At the same time, he minimized the number of Greekisms. This can be explained to some extent by Vesalius' rejection of many of the positions of Galen's medicine.

It is noteworthy that Andreas, being an innovator in anatomy, believed that the carriers of the mental are "animal spirits" produced in the ventricles of the brain. This view was reminiscent of Galen's theory, since these "spirits" were simply the renamed "psychic pneuma" that the ancients wrote about.

"On the structure of the human brain"

"On the structure of the human brain" is another work of Vesalius. This is the result of his study of the achievements of predecessors in the field of anatomy. However, not only him. The results of his own research were included in this book by Andreas Vesalius. Their contribution to science was much more important than the value of describing the achievements of their predecessors. In the essay, a scientific discovery was made, which was based on new methods of study. They were of great importance for the development of science at that time.

Diplomatically lavishing praise on Galen and amazed at the versatility of his knowledge and the vastness of his mind, Vesalius pointed out only the "inaccuracies" in the teachings of this physician. However, there were more than 200 of them in total. In essence, they are a refutation of the most important provisions of the Galenian doctrine.

In particular, Vesalius was the first to refute his opinion that a person has holes in the heart septum through which blood allegedly passes from the right ventricle to the left. Andreas showed that the left and right ventricles do not communicate with each other in the postembryonic period. However, from the discovery of Vesalius, which refuted Galen's ideas about the physiological nature of blood circulation, the scientist could not draw the correct conclusions. Later only Harvey succeeded in this.

Sylvia's ill-fated pamphlet

A long-brewing storm broke out after the publication of this great work by Andreas Vesalius. His teacher, Sylvius, always considered Galen's authority to be indisputable. He believed that anything that did not agree with the view or description of the great Roman is wrong. For this reason, Sylvius rejected the discoveries made by his student. He called Andreas a "slanderer", "arrogant", "monster", whose breath infects all of Europe. Sylvia's students supported their teacher. They also opposed Andreas, calling him a blasphemer and ignoramus. However, Sylvius did not limit himself to insults. He wrote in 1555 a sharp pamphlet entitled "Refutation of the slander of a certain madman ...". In 28 chapters, Sylvius wittily ridicules his former friend and disciple and disowns him.

This pamphlet played a fatal role in the fate of the great scientist Andreas Vesalius. His biography would probably have been supplemented by many further interesting discoveries in the field of anatomy, if not for this document, imbued with jealous envy and anger. He united his enemies and created an atmosphere of public contempt around the name of Vesalius. Andreas was accused of being disrespectful to the teachings of Galen and Hippocrates. These scholars were not formally canonized by the Catholic Church, omnipotent at the time. However, their authority and judgment were accepted as truths of Scripture. Therefore, objection to them was equated with rejection of the latter. Vesalius was also a student of Sylvius. Therefore, if Sylvius reproached his ward for libel, the accusation incriminated to him seemed plausible.

Note that Andreas's teacher defended Galen's authority not disinterestedly. The scientist's indignation was due to the fact that Vesalius, undermining the reputation of Galen, destroyed Sylvius himself, since his knowledge rested on the texts of the classics of medicine, carefully studied and passed on to students.

The further fate of Andreas's chair

Vesalius was mortally wounded by a pamphlet by Sylvia. Andreas Vesalius could not recover from this blow, whose biography from that moment on was marked by many difficulties that our hero had to face.

Opposition to Andreas' views emerged in Padua. One of his most active opponents was Reald Colombo, a student of Vesalius and his deputy in the department. Columbo, after the publication of Sylvia's innuendo, dramatically changed his attitude towards Andreas. He began to criticize him, trying to discredit the scientist in front of the students.

Vesalius left Padua in 1544. After that, Colombo was appointed to the Department of Anatomy. However, he only worked as a professor for a year. In 1545 Colombo moved to the University of Pisa. And in 1551 he took a chair in Rome and worked in this city until his death. Gabriel Fallopius succeeded Colombo at the Padua pulpit. He declared himself a disciple and heir of Vesalius and continued his traditions with honor.

Vesalius enters the royal service

Andreas Vesalius, the founder of scientific anatomy, was driven to despair by the evil fabrications of Sylvius. He had to stop researching. In addition, Vesalius burned some of the materials and manuscripts collected for his future works. In 1544, he was forced to switch to medical practice, joining the service of Charles V, who was at war with France at that time. As a military surgeon, Vesalius was supposed to go with him to the theater of operations.

In September 1544 the war ended. Andreas went to Brussels. Here Vesalius' father died soon after. After the death of his father, the scientist inherited an inheritance, and he started a family. Charles V. arrived in Brussels in January 1545. Andreas was to become his attending physician. Karl suffered from gout. He ate very immoderately. Doctor Andreas Vesalius made great efforts to alleviate his suffering.

In 1555 he abdicated the throne. Vesalius began to serve with Philip II, his son. The latter in 1559 moved from Brussels to Madrid with his court, and Andreas and his family went after him.

Pilgrimage to Palestine, death

Vesalius began to persecute mercilessly. He was accused of stabbing a living person during the preparation of a corpse. Andreas Vesalius, whose contribution to medicine was enormous, was sentenced to death. It was only thanks to the intercession of the king that it was replaced by another punishment - a pilgrimage to Palestine. Vesalius had to go to the Holy Sepulcher. It was a difficult and dangerous journey at the time.

Upon returning home, Andreas' ship crashed at the entrance to the Strait of Corinth. The scientist was thrown out to about. Zante. Here he fell seriously ill. On October 2, 1564, at the age of 50, the famous doctor died. On this pine-covered secluded island, Andreas Vesalius was buried.

It is difficult to overestimate the contribution of this scientist to medicine. For his time, his achievements were simply revolutionary. Fortunately, the works of such a scientist as Andreas Vesalius did not go to waste. His main discoveries were developed and supplemented by numerous followers, who appeared more and more after his death.