History of Anatomy: Key Contributors

History of Anatomy

• Greek ancient medicine divided into three parts, with Hippocrates as a central figure.
• Pre-Hippocratic Period: Homer, Alcmeon of Crotona, Aristotle.
• Hippocratic Period: Hippocrates.
• Post-Hippocratic Period (Alexandrian Period): Alexandrian School (Herophilos of Chalcedon, Erasistratus of Cos), Methodical school (Soran of Efes). Homer lived in the 8th century BC.

Anatomical Figures

• Alcmeon of Crotona (5th century BC): First anatomical treatise, described optic nerve, pharynx, brain. First animal dissection, differentiated atrium and ventricle in the heart (world premiere).
• Aristotle: Founder of comparative anatomy, described dentition in animals and humans (though his tooth count was inaccurate).
• Hippocrates: Contributions to osteology, traumatology, anatomy of trachea, lungs, umbilical cord, and ureters. Limited by lack of dissection. Recognized the connection between anatomy and physiology as fundamental to medicine. Motivations for anatomical limitations: no dissections, unknowns about interrelation of veins and arteries, tendons/nerves. Also an important practical figure in bedside medicine.

The Alexandrian Period

• Herophilos of Chalcedon (335 BCE – 280 BCE): Early anatomist, systematic dissection of human cadavers, detailed descriptions of nerves (cranial/spinal), IVth ventricle, brain, pancreas, etc. First to differentiate cerebrum and cerebellum.
• Erasistratus of Cos (304 BCE – 250 BCE): Distinguishing brain segments, heart valves, artery/vein connections, chyle vessels.

Anatomy in the Roman Empire

• Galen of Pergamon (129-201 AD): Revived interest in Hippocratic medicine, known for detailed anatomical work (43 books), detailed descriptions of bones, muscles, introducing new terms like apophysis and epiphysis, studied spinal nerves.

Anatomy in the Middle Ages

• Garipontus (11th century): Professor at the Medical School of Salerno, Latinized many Greek and Arabic anatomical names.
• Mondino dei Luzzi (14th century): Anatomist/surgeon who performed public dissections in Bologna in 1315, author of an anatomy textbook.

Renaissance Anatomy

• Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519): Artist and polymath who performed 30 autopsies, drew anatomical sketches and models.
• Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528): German artist who created anatomical illustrations for painters.
• Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564): Artist and architect who performed anatomical dissections, helped anatomical understanding for artists.
• Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564): Founder of modern anatomy, performed dissections, corrected numerous anatomical errors of Galen, described structure/function relationships, human body and organs in exceptional detail. Published "De humani corporis fabrica" (1542).

16th and 17th Century Anatomy

• Mateo Realdo Colombo (1516-1559): Studied pulmonary circulation.
• Bartolomeo Eustachio (1510-1574): Discovered inner ear tube, adrenal glands, optic nerve, thoracic duct etc.
• Gabriel Falloppio (1523-1562): Discovered portions of the inner ear, nerves, and tubes in relation to the reproductive system. Known for description of the Fallopian tubes.
• Miguel Servetus (1511-1553): Published ideas about pulmonary circulation, which was later discovered by William Harvey. Though this work was done earlier, he was influential and groundbreaking.
• Girolamo Fabrici (1537-1619): Founder of the first permanent anatomy amphitheater at the University of Padua.

Explore the rich history of anatomy through significant figures like Hippocrates, Alcmeon of Crotona, and Aristotle. This quiz delves into their groundbreaking contributions and the evolution of anatomical knowledge from ancient Greece to the Alexandrian Period.