The beginnings of comparative anatomy and Renaissance reflections on the human–animal divide

Abstract

AbstractThis essay is part of a larger research project on Renaissance attitudes to animals. It considers the extent to which early developments in the new field of comparative anatomy were influenced by Renaissance discussions concerning the nature and capacities of animals, compared to those of humans. It mainly focuses on the writings of Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), Andreas Vesalius (1514–64), Pierre Belon du Mans (1517–64) and Girolamo Fabrici di Acquapendente (c. 1533–1619), all of whom can be considered as pioneers in the field of comparative anatomy. The insights that they derived from their experience in dissections of animal bodies are examined against the background of changing sensitivities with regard to animals, which have already been observed in other writings of the same period, particularly literary ones. Rather than going into a detailed comparison of anatomical findings, this essay focuses on perceptions that transcended strictly anatomical knowledge, particularly on reflections concerning the animal soul, animal intelligence and animal speech that were expressed in the writings of the above‐mentioned protagonists.