The kidney from Galen to Vesalius -- a first approach.
In 1543, Andreas Vesalius (1514 - ca. 1564) published de Humani corporis fabrica in Basel (Basel, 1543). In current literature, the work is interpreted as either an imitation or a refutation of previous anatomical knowledge, particularly the treatises by the classical Greek physician Galen (129 -- after 216 A.D. [?]). In this paper we focus on Vesalius' study of the kidneys (Book V, chapter 10). On the basis of a comparison of Vesalius' and Galen's Greek text, we reach the conclusion that Vesalius closely reproduced Galen's model and text, thus re-enacting the ancient practice of medicine and dissection.
Touwaide
Alain
A
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20013, USA. TouwaideA@si.edu
D006115:Greece; D049669:History, 16th Century; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D009398:Nephrology / Q000266:history*