Brief Anatomical Timeline

5th century B.C. work of Alcmaeon and Empodocles

460-377 B.C.—Hippocrates’ era (Father of Medicine): little anatomical study performed limiting the knowledge of internal anatomy

384-322 B.C—Aristotle’s days: Physicians start dissecting animals to deduce basic human anatomy

ca.300 B.C.—Herophilus and Erasistratus performed first human dissection

275 BCE Herophilus teaches anatomy, Alexandria, Egypt; performs dissections of human bodies.

ca. 150 Galen dissects apes, monkeys, cows, dogs; writes treatises on human anatomy.

ca. 600-1100 Knowledge of Greek anatomical treatises lost to Western Europeans, but retained in Byzantium and the Islamic world. Islamic scholars translate Greek anatomical treatises into Arabic.

1100s-1500s Galen’s anatomical treatises translated from Arabic into Latin, later from the Greek originals.

13th century—Serious study of human dissections begin

1235 First European medical school founded at Salerno, Italy; human bodies are publicly dissected.

1316 Mondino de’Liuzzi stages public dissections, Bologna, Italy; writes Anatomia.

1450s Moveable type invented; Gutenberg Bible printed (1455). Copperplate engraving invented.

1490 Anatomical theater opens in Padua, Italy.

1491 First illustrated printed medical book published in Venice, Johannes de Ketham, Fasciculus medicinae.

ca. 1500-1540 Earliest printed illustrated anatomies.

1510 Leonardo da Vinci dissects human beings, makes anatomical drawings.

1514-1564—Vesalius: Father of Anatomy published works, including first profusely illustrated printed anatomy, Vesalius’ De Humani Corporis Fabrica(1543).

1670s-1690s Schwammerdam, Ruysch and others start making anatomical specimens and museums. Bidloo starts movement toward greater anatomical realism. First art academies founded; anatomy is a key part of the curriculum.

1752—England’s Murder Act passed

1824—Article published that warned of all unclaimed bodies were to be used for dissection

1825-26—"Great Inflation": grave robbers start asking for higher prices for corpses

1832—Anatomy Act: allowed use of unclaimed pauper bodies for sale and dissection

1834—Poor Law Amendment Act passed