Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 198

NICCOLò MASSA (1489-1569) Liber introductorius anatomiae, sive dissectionis corporis humani In aedibus Francisci Bindoni, ac Maphei Pasini, socios 1536 108 ll. 20.8 cm.

For more information on this author or work, see number: 195

The present work is one of the best known pre-Vesalian anatomies and is considered by many authorities to be one of the finest works of its kind up to that time. It is certainly not without error, but contains many original contributions and is largely based on the author's first-hand knowledge of the subject. His description of the gastrointestinal tract is reasonably accurate although he believed that the appendix disappeared with maturity. He was well aware of the varying size of the spleen in various disease states and observed that the liver is usually divided into five lobes although he sometimes found it undivided. He declared that the uterus was only a single cavity and not seven-celled as was then commonly believed.

See Related Record(s): 196

Cited references: Cushing M179; Durling 2984 (1559 ed.); Garrison-Morton 1536; Osler 3342; Waller 6298 (1559 ed.); Wellcome 4110 (1559 ed.)

Gift of John Martin, M.D.