Pericles himself comes down with the disease…

Andreas Vesalius, often called the father of anatomy, publishes the first accurate anatomy text with highly detailed illustrations of human dissections, of which he is a pioneer.

Andreas Vesalius publishes a seminal work, De humani corporis fabrica libri septem ("The Seven Books on the Structure of the Human Body"), the first accurate anatomy text, correctly describing, depicting, and delineating the anatomy of bones, muscles, blood vessels, nerves, internal organs, and the brain.

The beautifully illustrated text includes masterful illustrations that correct errors of Galen and disposes of an accumulated baggage of medieval superstitions and legends.

Vesalius, twenty-nine in 1543, performs pioneering dissections of human cadavers and initiates the use of dissection as a teaching aid. (He is often called the father of anatomy.)

Born in Brussels, he had become a professor of anatomy in Padua, approaching his subject with straightforward scientific experimentation, rather than accepting many of the incorrect observations of Galen and pursuing the study of the topic through metaphysical dialectic.

He compares the anatomy of various animals with humans and notes the fallacy of extrapolating from one to the other.

Ambroise Paré, the preeminent surgeon of his time and an enthusiastic supporter of Vesalius’ work, helps to popularize the book among physicians and surgeons and writes a short, clear version in French.

The work is innovative not only for its pioneering scientific approach to anatomy but also for the superb illustrations that accompany the text, making it a picture book.

This publishing trend extends to topics ranging from human anatomy to maps to botanical studies.

Another important development seen in Vesalius is the elaboration of both the title page and frontispiece; these are given enhanced symbolic importance as visual commentaries on the book's contents.

Having published his monumental work on human anatomy, Andreas Vesalius had left Padua for Mainz, where he presents his book to Emperor Charles, who engages him as regular physician to the household, where he has to deal with the other physicians mocking him as being a barber.

The Flemish physician will travel with the court over the next eleven years, treating injuries from battle or tournaments, performing pastes and postmortems, and writing private letters addressing specific medical questions.

During these years he will also write Radicis Chynae, a short text on the properties of a medical plant, whose use he defends, as well as defense for his anatomical findings.

Vesalius, who has revolutionized the study of biology and the practice of medicine by his careful description of the anatomy of the human body, publishes the second edition of Fabrica in 1550, by which time its detailed anatomical illustrations have become standards.