De Humani Corporis Fabrica. Epitome

In the mid-16th century, the dissection of human corpses was still considered an absolute taboo and was sometimes harshly penalized. Medical and anatomical knowledge was gained by examining animal cadavers. This was not enough for the ambitious medical student Andreas Vesalius. He obtained corpses in adventurous cloak-and-dagger operations from graveyards and used them to conduct his studies, which make up the cornerstone of modern anatomy. Vesalius recorded his findings in his anatomical atlas De humani corporis fabrica, which he published in 1543. Just a few weeks later, his companion volume De Humani Corporis Fabrica Librorum Epitome was also released, summarizing the main work and impressing contemporaries above all with its groundbreaking anatomical illustrations, including flap-anatomies. The remarkable woodcuts fascinate not only with their scientific value, but also with their great precision, realistic perspective and skillful attention to detail.