The Revival of Anatomical Practices and Techniques in the Renaissance

The history of the development of anatomical knowledge in the sixteenth century has been told largely without reference to the specifics involved in examining bodies. Here I develop a history of anatomy through attention to the details of how bodies were examined---the various specialized techniques of dissection (probes, inflation and insufflation, injections, bone preparation) and general practices (dissection, vivisection, public demonstrations and private dissections, the dissection of animal as well as human bodies, examination of bodies that suffered from various diseases). Focusing on the details of the practices and techniques of dissection reveals a new chronology for the development of anatomy and emphasizes the importance of the medical and surgical applications of anatomical study. Dissection went through three phases in the early sixteenth century, each with a fairly specific geographic focus and motivated by different texts that served as the template for performing examinations. Prevailing medical and surgical concerns fueled much of the work done. Key individuals in each phase include Berengario da Carpi, Gabriele Zerbi, Andreas Vesalius, Johannes Dryander, Charles Estienne, and Realdo Colombo.;These various anatomists (and others I consider) approached examining bodies with certain assumptions about the purpose of dissection that were reflected in the methods they used. The traditional account of the rise of dissection which involves a shift towards emphasizing knowledge from the body over knowledge from texts begun by Vesalius is unfounded. Anatomists throughout the early sixteenth century emphasized knowledge from dissection, but the nature of the knowledge they sought changed with changing perceptions of the utility of anatomy.