A life dedicated to medicine

Abstract

The article discusses the work of the founder of modern anatomy Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564) on the culmination of his scientific and pedagogical activity - the work "De humani corporis fabrica", the historical conditions in which this book was written, and the difficulties created by the classical anatomy of Galen. It is noted that the work of Vesalius played an important role not only in the development of anatomy and medicine but in general in the formation and development of universal human innovative ideas. Unlike his predecessors, Vesalius preferred the method of dissection in anatomy; the study of anatomy on human cadavers, often contrary to the laws of that time, the explanation of the details of the subject precisely on cadaveric material, of course, could not fail to bear fruit. Along with this, it is noted that Vesalius was a skilled physician and surgeon of his time. Putting forward the functional factor in the study of organs, Vesalius achieved more voluminous and versatile scientific details. Throughout his career, Vesalius fought against the negative manifestation of Galen's ideas, which turned into medical dogma and achieved a detailed correction of about 200 Galen's mistakes. Of course, this was not positively received from the conservative-reactionary and very influential scientific circles, scientific and pedagogical activities, as well as the very existence of Vesalius simply as a person, was attacked. As a person who dedicated his life entirely to medicine and anatomy, Vesalius eventually fell victim to these conservative forces. Analysis of modern literary data on the main work of Vesalius shows that his scientific and pedagogical legacy still needs to be studied and discussed.