June 6, 1543 the study of anatomy is forever changed with the publication of De humani corporis fabrica
On June 6, 1543 the ground breaking book De humani corporis fabrica On the Fabric of the Human Body was published.
Was it really published June 6? I suspect this is a case of picking a date because we don’t really know. I’ll go with the 6th because I’ve been dying to use these exquisite stamps. In light of the images, maybe dying isn’t the word to use here.
The publication of the De Humani Corporis Fabrica in 1543 was not just a great contribution to science, but a revolutionary work of creative art, weaving medical technicality with imagery and the printed word. An accomplishment of at least 4 years in the making, the Fabrica is a structural examination of the human body, complete with woodcut engravings of Vesalius’ dissections.
Notable features of the work include 3 full skeletons in dramatic pose, and 14 frontal and dorsal views of the human body in successive states of dissection (often referred to as the ‘muscle men’). UBC DE HUMANI CORPORIS FABRICA (1543)
On the Fabric of the Human Body
Author Andreas Vesalius Flemish
John van Calcar (John Stephen Calcar) Netherlandish
Johannes Oporinus printer
University of Toronto’s Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library Digital Collections has the book available for viewing on line. It’s a treasure filled with high quality scans.
Andreas Vesalius – 500 Years – De Humani Corporis Fabrica
Issued in 2014 by Portugal and Belgium
Designer: Guillaume Broux & Kris Maes
This was a joint release.
The history of anatomy is traditionally divided into two periods: pre-Vesalian and post-Vesalian. With the publication of De humani corporis fabrica in 1543, Vesalius lay the foundation for the scientific study of anatomy. Pre-Vesalian anatomy was characterised by its reliance on animal dissection – a tradition established by Galen, the Greek physician of the 2nd century A.D. who practised in Rome. Vesalius in De fabrica provided a complete anatomical and physiological study of every part of the human body, based on first-hand experience as public prosector in the Medical School at the University of Padua. His painstaking observations corrected many of the errors perpetrated by Galen and his followers. De fabrica not only revolutionised the science of anatomy, but also its teaching. Vesalius advocated that dissection should be performed by the lecturer, as it is only through direct first-hand experience that he could learn human anatomy in sufficient detail.
https://collections.library.utoronto.ca/view/anatomia:RBAI035
Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564) with Model of Human Arm
Issued in 1964 as part of the Belgian Celebrities series
Designer: Jean Malvaux
Engraver: Jean De Bast
The woodblock illustrations are thought to be the work of Jan van Calcar, a Flemish artist from Titian’s studio in Venice. The original blocks were rediscovered in the early 20th century, and permanently lost when they were destroyed in an Allied bombing raid during WWII.
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