Vesalius

Vesalius 

1514 – 1564   The Belgian anatomist Andreas Vesalius,    went to Louvain University from 1528 to 1533 when he moved to Paris. From an early age, his family encouraged him to read and study medical books. While at Louvain University, he would draw pictures but many people thought that picture didn’t matter and they turned their backs on Vesalius and his ideas. In 1538, Vesalius created a collection of scientific drawings called ‘Tabulae Sex’. While he thought that these pictures were accurate, he made a lot of mistakes. In one picture of the liver there were 5 lobes but in reality, humans only have 2. Vesalius then produced his letter on Venesection, which is the bleeding of patients. He criticized doctors who bled on the opposite side of the body and only let a small amount of blood out. To justify this, he produced drawings showing how the veins were connected and used a scientific argument to justify his logic. His next book ‘The fabric of the Human body’ published in 153 was a comprehensive study of the human body. This book was a good one because it elaborated a lot on the human body and how it works. The book showed how muscle is built up in layers and it highlighted errors in previous theories of anatomy. When a Paduan judge became interested in Vesalius' work, he made bodies of executed criminals available to him. Vesalius was now able make comparative dissections of humans. This really moved his work forward.

“On the Teeth, Which Are Also Counted as Bones… I think this is a good quote. For Vesalius to know that teeth are bones really shows what kind of knowledge he had. Most people of his time knew nothing about bones or the human anatomy. Vesalius’s work really affects us. He made huge scientific break throughs and helped the world of medicine. For example, he discovered that teeth are bones and they need to be taken care of or else they will rot. Vesalius disproved that men had a rib less than women. As he studied the body more and more, he came across this fact. He also believed that the brain and the nervous system are the center of everything. The brain controlled the thoughts and the nervous system controlled the physical feelings. He really paved the way for scientists and he made great discoveries. Notebook Activity 1. Complete the acrostic poem with the information provided V.   E.    S.    A.    L.    I.    U.    S.   Hero! Andreas Vesalius is here by named a hero. He has made great discoveries in the medical field and his work will never be forgotten. Even though he has dissected many bodies, they have all gone to good use. In the future I advise everyone to learn from his teachings and attend his classes. What he is teaching he really knows about. Andreas has written many books and will continue to write more. What Vesalius discovered should be called ‘The age of anatomy.’ This was the beginning of a new age and it started off in a great way. New things were being discovered, people had a new understanding for the way the human body worked and the medical field pursued different avenues which have proven to be invaluable to medicine today. Wanted!! If you find this man and bring him to jail a large sum of money will be given to you!