Andreas Vesalius Facts: The Man Who Contributed To Human Anatomy

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Andreas Vesalius is one of the most famous biologists who gave human biology the kick start it needed. Andreas Vesalius was a Belgian-born biologist who wrote a book about human anatomy based on the human dissections he made himself.

The human body is one of the most complex machines. We only know a small amount about human anatomical structures and there is still so much left to find out. Andreas Vesalius was both an anatomist and a physical. He was born into a family of physicians, and the first part of Vesalius's life was spent seeing the colors and creations behind the human body. Velius is known as the father of modern medicine. He not only wrote the first book on the structure of the human but he also wrote the most famous book about human anatomy. The anatomical research that Vesalius developed helped to prove modern anatomy and modern anatomical dissection is still based on his research. During the 16th century, there were too many limitations on science and the ideas which Vesalius gave based on his human dissections helped to free the path for more studies into this field.

Vesalius had ties with the Roman Empire, and both Vesalius's father and grandfather were valued in the Roman Empire. Coming from a decent background helped the anatomical demonstrations which Vesalius studied. A lot of anatomical information and even information about the reproductive system is the result of Vesalius's work and the curious mind which this genius possessed.

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Andreas Vesalius Life History

Learning anatomy in medical school required Vesalius to study the human body in depth. Vesalius had the chance to do this while studying for his medical degree. Bodies which were sent for postmortem gave Vesalius a chance to learn about galenic anatomy. Vesalius had previously only studied fetal anatomy.

To know more about humans and their bodies, Vesalius needed to dissect the parts to understand our the human body worked. This meant dissections were necessary in order to learn about human anatomy. Vesalius and his family had good ties with the holy Roman Empire and the holy Roman Emperor Charles of the holy Roman Empire. This strong relationships gave Vesalius a chance to pursue medicine in medical school and learn about anatomy and the human nervous system.

After he had finished studying, he returned to Belgium to marry Anne van Hamme. By that time, Vesalius had become a man of power and knowledge. He was invited by the holy Roman Emperor Charles V as a court physician and after Charles V, he served his son Philip II. During the time Vesalius was serving Emperor Charles V, he was also known as the father of anatomy since his study of human cadavers and human dissection led him to discover human anatomy.

Vesalius died on October 15, 1564 when he became ill during a storm while he was traveling to Venice. His book the 'De Humani Corporis Fabrica' is still one of the most famous books with anatomical drawings of the human body and dissection material.

What is Andreas Vesalius known for?

The study of anatomy started as soon as humans realized they needed to understand our bodies in order to fight disease. During the Hellenistic period, the study of anatomy kick-started and Vesalius Andreas became father of anatomy for his exceptional work in studying the nervous system and his anatomical illustrations in his book.

Andreas Vesalius of Brussels was married to Anne van Hamme as he served the holy Roman Emperor Charles v. Vesalius Andreas studied anatomy and wrote a book about this which is still considered one of the greatest human anatomy books. He was a surgeon, biologist, and anatomist by profession.

Andreas Vesalius Books

The work done by Andrea Vesalius was influenced by a number of people about whom he studies in his medical practice.

Galen, Gemma Firius, and Johannes Baptista were the people he was influenced by. Although, Vesalius challenged the errors which were present in Galen's work, and by doing so he went against the church. Not just that, he also went against the dogmas of the catholic church, which were the highest scholars and doctors of his time! Although, after some time the church accepted the work done by Vesalius, as they believed it fitted their Christian beliefs, before that they defended Galen's work greatly.

Andreas Vesalius Education

Andreas wrote the 'De Humani Corporis Fabrica' or what is also known as the 'Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem'.

Vesalius studied at a Catholic university called Louvain and practiced medicine. He studied human anatomy by performing human dissections of the dead bodies which came for post mortem. Vesalius studied biology in 16th century Europe, and was one of the first people to do so. He dissected a number of human bodies and took many notes. His discoveries are still used today. The drawings by Vesalius were later enhanced by Jan Stephan van Calcar.

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