ANDREAS VESALIUS

By: Student Name

Historical Question

What did Andreas Vesalius do that was important?

Andreas Vesalius is considered today the father of modern anatomy. Vesalius perfected anatomy and has changed the study of medicine forever. He was able to achieve his position by dissecting the bodies of dead humans, then drawing many illustrations and writing his discoveries in a book that is famous to this day.

Thesis Statement

Vesalius’s LifeAt a very young age Andreas Vesalius was

introduced to medical books and methods. (school.co.uk) As he kept studying medicine and science he became more and more interested in the human body. Vesalius went to three universities, and in 1537 he earned his medical degree, specializing in anatomy. After he became a doctor, he began dissecting dead human bodies and making illustrations of our muscles, organs, bones, and the rest of our body. Eventually he gathered all of his notes and images to create a book that changed the direction of anatomy.

Why did Andreas Vesalius do that was important?

Wrote many highly detailed books about anatomy

Discovered facts about the body that no one had ever discovered before

Major impact on medicine

Wrote many highly detailed books about anatomy

Vesalius wrote a book about the human body based on his many observations and illustrations. They described several organs such as the thalmus for the first time. Never before had illustrations of this quality been seen in a medical book. It was the most accurate and detailed anatomical text ever to have been produced at that time.(zephrys.co.uk) He was the first person to discover that the heart had 4 different chambers, he added that discovery to his book. When he started to dissect dead bodies, he would write down the new discoveries and make illustrations of the inside of the body. His book was seven volumes long and was all about the human’s organs, bones, heart, brain and much more.

Discovered facts about the body that no one had ever discovered before

Andreas discovered the skeletal system, muscular system, vascular system, circulatory system, nervous system, abdominal organs, the heart, and brain. Vesalius also was the person who discovered different parts of the heart such as the inferior and superior vena cava.(history-wiki.wikispaces.com) He proved that the nerves do not come from the heart, but from the brain. He was also the first person to ever dissect a brain.

Huge impact on medicine

He confronted the church, proved the world famous Galen wrong and still managed to write a book on his findings without getting prosecuted. (history-wiki.wikispaces.com) Through his work from dissecting the body he was able to make discoveries never found before. He discovered the muscles, bones, and the 4 chambered heart. He was a teacher to large amounts of students and even allowed villagers to preview his live dissections.

Perspectives

Culturaland

Scientific

Cultural Perspectives Andreas changed the way

people look at anatomy. Before Andreas had all his research, Galen was the person they listened too, but he was incorrect with his research. Luckily Andreas proved him wrong and was able to teach the right way.

Scientific Perspectives

Vesalius used human corpses, unlike Galen who used an animal corpses for dissection. Vesalius impacted science because he used the human body to study human anatomy.

Conclusion

Through Vesalius’ work he wrote books that changed the course of anatomy. He taught classes about the human body. He was the first person to discover the 4 chambered heart, and all the systems of the human body including our skeleton.

Bibliography Andreas Vesalius 1514-1564. Digital Image.

Andreas Vesalius. Little Bang Productions, 20000. Web.

Moorhouse. “Andreas Vesalius : Background Information” schoolhistory.co.uk, N.p., n.d. Web.

Mirae, Kim. “Vesalius.” Vesalius. libwebspace.library.cmu.edu, N.p., 2009. Web.

Ablett, Eric, Dominick Bellizzi, Ryan Bowse, James Byers, Sarah Cove, Max Dobrusin, Adam Frey, Jeff Hanke, Ryan Koopmans, Julie Newcomb, and Carole Snitzer. "What Was the Impact of Andreas Vesalius upon the World of Medicine?" N.p., 2005. Web.

Olesh, Adam, and Amy Volfson. "What Impact Did Andreas Vesalius Have on Life in the Renaissance? - Andreas Vesalius." Andreas Vesalius. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://avesalius.weebly.com/what-impact-did-andreas-vesalius-have-on-life-in-the-renaissance.html>.