A compendious system of anatomy : in six parts ... ; illustrated with twelve large copperplates.

  • Andrew Fyfe
Date:
MDCCXCII [1792]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A compendious system of anatomy : in six parts ... ; illustrated with twelve large copperplates. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    part of the body, the fuperiority of his univer- sal genius, his particular excellence in mecha- ]iics and hydraulics, and the attention with which fuch a man would examine and fee objects which he was to draw, I am fully perfuaded that Leo- nardo was the beft anatomift at that time in the world. We mult give the 15th century the cre- dit of Leonardo's anatomical ftudies, as he was 5$ years of age at the clofe of that century. In the beginning of the 16th century, Achil- linus and Benedi&us, but particularly Beren- garius and MaiTa, followed out the improvement of anatomy in Italy, where they taught it, and published upon the fubjecL Thefe firft im- provers made foms difcoveries from their own diiTeclions : but it is not furprifing that they mould have been diffident of themfelves, and have followed Galen almoft blindly, when his authority had been fo long eftablifhed, and when the enthufiafm for Greek authors was rifing to fuch a pitch. Soon after this, we may fay about the year 1540, the great Vefalius appeared. He was ftudious, laborious, and ambitious. From Bruf- fels, the place of his birth, he went to Louvain, and thence to Paris, where anatomy was not yet making confiderable figure, and then to Louvain to teach ; from which place, very for- tunately for his reputation, he was called to Italy, where he met with every opportunity that fuch a fuch genius for anatomy defire, that is, books, fubjects,