Andreas Vesalius: De Humani Corporis Fabrica and Epitome Facsimile Edition

Before Vesalius, the dissection of human bodies involved an anatomist reading from an anatomy text at the lectern, and a specialist surgeon performing the dissection according to the anatomist's instructions. Vesalius was highly critical of this approach and established the tradition of the anatomist personally wielding the scalpel.

The sixteenth century was the height of the European Renaissance, and the year of Fabricas publication also marked the publishing of Copernicus' theory of heliocentrism, making 1543 the beginning, many say, of modern scientific history.

The Epitome, meaning "summary," was often used during actual dissections. Epitome is designed so that diagrams showing blood vessels and internal organs can be cut out and laid over a diagram of the nervous system to show the relationship between their positions. Because copies were pored over so frequently and the diagrams cut out, only a handful of complete copies of Epitome are extant.