For a long time, human diseases did not give in to cure, since the Catholic Church categorically forbade autopsies. Medieval physician Andrei Vesaliy was one of the first to do this, risking his career and his own life …
The family of Andrei (Andreas) Vesalius, who was born in 1514 in Brussels, was closely associated with medicine: his father was a court pharmacist, and his grandfather was a doctor. Therefore, Vesalius from a young age observed many problems of medical science of the Middle Ages and vowed to solve them.
Hereditary medic
While studying medicine at the Universities of Leuven and Paris, he realized that the ancient and already largely outdated methods of Galen could not correct the problems of medicine. Secretly practicing on corpses, Vesalius created the first anatomical preparation of a complete human skeleton in Europe, which was a real shock for many doctors who hated him, and most importantly, for the church inquisition. The Holy See drew attention to the obstinate physician who, contrary to religious prohibitions, opened a human body and thereby violated the biblical commandments.
And yet the great knowledge and experience gained in this way allowed him to receive his doctorate in 1537. However, the papal inquisition suspected Vesalius of heresy. This forced him to leave for Venice, whose government, by encouraging the development of natural sciences, sought to attract young scientists to work at the University of Padua.
During lectures, to which, to the displeasure of the professors, students from other faculties came running in droves, Vesalius showed the shocked students anatomical tables copied from the preparations of a dead body, explaining, however, their origin by God's providence.
He decided to print these drawings, despite the warnings of friends about the close attention of the court of the Inquisition to him. In his lectures, Vesalius tried to follow the teachings of Galen as much as possible, but on the basis of his own observations obtained during autopsies, he increasingly came to the conclusion that many of the information of the Roman surgeon was erroneous.
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Anatomical atlas in seven volumes
The middle of the 16th century became for Europe not only a time of monstrous in cruelty wars and epidemics, but also the Renaissance, during which this unknown doctor flashed like a bright star.
Fame came to Vesalius when the printing house of Johann Oporin dared to publish a seven-volume anatomical atlas entitled "On the structure of the human body."
It was a gigantic scientific work in which, instead of obsolete dogmas, new scientific views were expounded. The book is decorated with beautiful drawings by the artist Jan Stefan van Kalkar, a student of Titian. They fairly accurately reflected the appearance of the organs of the body and were provided with detailed explanations. It is characteristic that the skeletons depicted in the drawings stand in poses typical of living people, and the landscapes that surround them speak more of life than death. Each capital letter in the treatise is decorated with a drawing depicting children studying anatomy. This was the case in ancient times, when the art of depicting the body and anatomy was taught from childhood, and knowledge was passed on from father to son.
It took the scientist five years of hard work to create a book on anatomy. Its clarity and persuasiveness were determined to a large extent by the quality of the drawings, which were an integral part of the book. Vesalius himself worked on the drawings, and also prepared many anatomical preparations for sketching.
The scientist paid much attention to the work of the heart and brain, as well as criticism of false ideas. He was outraged by the art of treatment, which had fallen into decay - clinical research of patients took on ugly forms, a logical diagnosis at the patient's bedside was replaced by a biased, unsubstantiated conclusion, similar to how pneumonia was defined: “… the veins with which the soul connects to the body are filled with phlegm ". His contemporary doctors did not know and did not want to study the anatomy of the skeletal system, the structure of muscles, nerves, arteries and veins. "Even the most gifted of the doctors," wrote Vesalius, "began to entrust the servants with what they were supposed to do for the sick with their own hands … they left behind only the prescription of medicines and diets for special ailments."
Rib dogma
Vesalius' work revolutionized medicine. The boldness of his scientific thought inspired and frightened. So, along with the followers who appreciated his discoveries, the scientist had many enemies. Often even close people betrayed him, his disciples turned away. The famous Jacob Sylvius, the teacher of Vesalius, called Vesalius "Vesanus", which means "insane."
He spoke out against him with a sharp pamphlet, which he called "Defense against slander of the anatomical works of Hippocrates and Galen by a certain madman." He did not disdain to appeal to the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire Charles V himself, demanding to punish Vesalius approximately.
Most eminent doctors supported Sylvius, demanding to punish Vesalius, who dared to criticize the great Galen. Such was the strength of recognized authorities, when any innovation, a bold statement that went beyond the established canons, aroused caution and was regarded as free-thinking.
Having opened dozens of corpses, having carefully studied the human skeleton, Vesalius came to the conclusion that the opinion of doctors that men have one rib less than women is completely wrong. But this opinion went beyond the framework of medieval science, insulting the church doctrine. Vesalius also did not reckon with another delusion - that a person has an incombustible and indestructible bone, which contains a mysterious power that helps a person to resurrect on the day of the Last Judgment in order to appear before God. And although no one saw this bone, it was described in scientific works, no one doubted its existence. Vesalius directly stated that, having examined the entire human body, he did not find a mysterious bone. At the same time, he was clearly aware of what such a statement could lead to.
The scientist continued to teach at the University of Padua. But every day the clouds were gathering. He did not want to part with Venice, the university, interrupt his work, but he saw no other way out. Harassment by professors, pressure from the authorities, threatening the fire of the Inquisition, forced Vesalius to leave Padua.
After settling in Augsburg for several years, he prepared the second edition of his anatomical manual. This edition, which appeared in 1555, was the only textbook for medical students in all of Europe for two centuries.
His extensive experience in healing and communication allowed Vesalius to take the post of court physician to Emperor Charles V. In Brussels, he now had no department, he stopped studying with students. The place of the court doctor, although it was not to Vesalius' liking, had its advantages - the imperial court served as a reliable shelter for him from the persecution of the church, leaving him the opportunity to study anatomy. However, the unexpected abdication of the patron from the throne confused all the plans of the scientist.
His son Philip II ascended the throne - a bitter and vindictive man, accustomed to seeing the manifestation of heresy in everything. The court and the papal service did everything to make the young king dislike Vesalius and openly express his dislike to him. He was falsely charged with anatomy of a human being. Vesalius tried in vain to prove his innocence.
In an effort to look like a "good king", Philip II convinced the court of the Inquisition not to execute his doctor "without shedding blood" - the burning of the heretic would cast a clear shadow on the king. The court physician avoided the fire, but the verdict of the Inquisition court was categorical: Vesalius had to go on a pilgrimage to holy places and to the Holy Sepulcher for repentance to atone for his mortal sins.
In 1564, Vesalius left Madrid with his wife and daughter. On the way to Jerusalem, the scientist visited his beloved Venice, where he spent the best years of his creative life. On the way back from Jerusalem, the captain of the ship landed the sick Vesalius on the island of Zakynthos (Greece), where in 1564 Andrew died. The place of his burial is unknown to the world. But the best monument to the scientist is his great work on the structure of the human body.
Mikhail ANDREEV