title: The life and work of Jan Jesensky (1566-1621), the physician of a dying time.
abstract: Jan Jesensky (Johannes Jessenius) ranks among the outstanding Renaissance polymaths of Central Europe. Stemming from Horne Jaseno (present-day Slovakia), born in Wrócław (Poland), he studied philosophy and medicine in Wittenberg, Leipzig (Germany) and Padua (Italy), worked in Wrócław, Wittenberg, Prague (Czech Republic) and Vienna (Austria), and was executed in Prague. He was influenced by and himself impacted upon a large area of the pre-30-year-war Europe science, learning and politics. The year 2011 marked the 410th anniversary of the publication of his famous description of the public dissection performed in Prague, as well as the 390th anniversary of his death. His scientific and editorial work covers not only anatomy but also surgery, internal medicine, infectious diseases and even philosophy and poetry. Moreover, he was very active as University Rector (in both Wittenberg and Prague) and also as politician of the Protestant fraction in Bohemia, which unfortunately led to his violent death. He was an excellent promoter of his own person and work and he understood and exerted dexterously the power of publicity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, Praha, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kachlik
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vichnar
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kachlikova
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Musil
authors.forename: Kristian
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Szabo
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stingl
mesh_terms: D000715:Anatomy / Q000266:history*; D003604:Czechoslovakia; D004210:Dissection / Q000266:history*; D005060:Europe; D005180:Faculty, Medical / Q000266:history; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D006801:Humans; D011057:Politics; D014857:Warfare
keywords: Jan Jesensky; Johannes Jessenius; anatomy; dissection; history