The personages of Jan Stephan van Calcar's frontispiece to Andreas Vesalius' book "On the Structure of the Human Body".
More than 400 years have passed since the edition of the prominent anatomical treatise "On the Structure of the Human Body" in 7 books of Andreas Vesalius, the founder of the modern anatomical science, the outstanding scientist of the Renaissance. The role of Andreas Vesalius in the history of medicine and anatomy, his life and creative work are described in detail by many following generations (Choulant 1852; Jackschath 1903; Anson 1945; Deshin 1915; Leibson 1940, 1951; Kasatkin 1956; Kuprijanov 1964; Ternovsky 1965; Goncharov 1976, 1978). However the interest both in that man and the epoch he lived and created does not grow weak nowadays. At the USSR Order of Lenin State Library in the section of rare books there is one of a few left copies of A. Vesalius' book (published in 1543 in Basel of Johann Oporin's publication) published by Johann Oporin in 1543 in Basel. This book is exhibited unfold and its frontispiece is great interest to readers (Fig. 1).
D000715:Anatomy / Q000266:history*; D049668:History, 15th Century; D049669:History, 16th Century; D007558:Italy; D008512:Medicine in the Arts