By: Student Name
Historical Question
What did Andreas
Vesalius do that was
important?
Thesis Statement
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.
Vesalius’s Life
At 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
Cultural
and
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/whatimpact-did-andreas-vesalius-have-on-life-in-the-renaissance.html>.