Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 291

ANDREAS VESALIUS (1514-1564) De humani corporis fabrica librorum epitome. [Ex officina Joannis Oporini 1543] [27] pp., illus., port. 52.3 cm.

For more information on this author or work, see number: 280

Vesalius was fully convinced of the importance of using anatomical diagrams for teaching purposes and prepared the Epitome to meet that end. In actuality, the Epitome is an illustrated compendium of all that was contained in the Fabrica and it represents an extremely skillful condensation of the immense amount of detail in the Fabrica. Almost all of the wood blocks used in the Epitome were prepared especially for it and do not appear in the Fabrica. The figures are some six centimeters taller than those of the Fabrica in order to provide as much detail as possible and to make them easier to follow. Vesalius also included two plates of various anatomical features which were supposed to be cut out and pasted upon human figures elsewhere in the book. Apparently the work was never intended to be bound together but rather was for use in separate sheets. As a result, it is a very rare work and is incomplete in most of the existing copies. This is reflected in the library's complete copy which appears to have been assembled from at least four other copies. Cushing lists only eleven copies in the United States and seven in Europe.

Cited references: Choulant-Frank, p. 180; Cushing V85; Cushing Vesalius VI.B.-1; Durling 4581; Garrison-Morton 376; Osler 571; Waller 9908; Wellcome 6565

Gift of John Martin, M.D.