Chapter 1: Anatomical Evolution

In the sweltering summer of 1536, the anatomist Andreas Vesalius broke the mold. During that era, the Church permitted anatomists to dissect only two corpses annually for public lectures. However, these initial anatomy classes left much to be desired.

Typically, anatomists did not perform dissections themselves. Most studies were conducted on executed criminals, deemed sinful, which discouraged any educated individual from handling the bodies. Compounding the issue was the teaching style: a Lector, or professor, would recite texts from Galen or Hippocrates while a Sector, often a barber-surgeon with minimal medical training, performed the cutting. Meanwhile, an Ostensor would hold up the dissected organs for students to observe from a distance. Questions were discouraged, as any challenge to the teachings of Galen or Hippocrates could lead to accusations of heresy. Essentially, these anatomy lessons served as a visual aid for memorizing outdated medical beliefs.

Vesalius, however, was a maverick who questione