On the innovative genius of Andreas Vesalius

Andreas Vesalius (1515 - 1564) is generally considered to be the founding father of modern human anatomy. To commemorate his 500th birthday, some of the most striking anatomical and physiological aspects of Vesalius’ major work De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem (De Fabrica) are presented and discussed in this thesis. Unlike his predecessors, Vesalius recognized nearly all currently distinguished muscles of the hand, forearm and shoulder. He was the first to publish on the possible absence of the palmaris longus muscle. Likewise, Vesalius innovatively described the anatomical-surgical relevant mammary suspensory ligaments (cf. Cooper 1840), superficial facial system (cf. Scarpa 1809, Colles 1811), and superficial musculoaponeurotic system (cf. Tessier 1974). Further, he deduced the functional entity of the grouped anatomical structures currently known as the rotator cuff, and the physiology of both the voice box and pulmonary ventilation. Additionally, Vesalius was instrumental in breaking with two millennia of dominance of the concept of lack of animal cognition. Finally, he used the, then fairly new, game of tennis to explain the anatomy of the diaphragm to his readers. It is concluded that, even after five centuries, Vesalius’ work still testifies of his genius. He described a variety of structures and functions avant la lettre. By his being the first to be near-completely correct about anatomical and physiological structures, he proved the importance of proper anatomical dissection. He has been instrumental in breaking with two millenniums of dominance of Aristotelean theory and 1350 years of Galenist dogmas on human anatomy and physiology