Vesalius Publishes De Humani Corporis Fabrica

1543

The Flemish anatomist Andreas Vesalius, teaching at Padua, released a folio of stunningly illustrated dissections that corrected hundreds of errors in Galen. Skeletons posed thoughtfully against Italian landscapes while muscles peeled themselves back page by page. Modern anatomy had a birthday. The illustrations, from Titian's workshop, set a new standard for scientific illustration combining artistic beauty with anatomical precision.