jan 1, 1316 - Mondino de Luzzi: publishes Anathomia corporis humani

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Mondino de Luzzi was an Italian physician and anatomist, born in Bologna in 1270. He is often credited as the “restorer of anatomy,” writing the first modern anatomical text and popularizing public human dissection. He studied at the University of Bologna, and after he graduated, he taught anatomy and surgery there while also practicing medicine. In 1315, he is said to have dissected an executed criminal (who was most likely female) and became the first known person to perform a public dissection after Herophilus and Erasistratus. In 1316, Mondino published Anathomia corporis humani. This was a guide to human dissection and drew largely on Galen’s teachings (therefore, many of its diagrams of human internal organs were inaccurate). It also introduced the concept of the public dissection of human cadavers in Bologna. The release of this text and Mondino’s work in public dissection is indicative that he was responding to medical demands for more information on human dissection and anatomy. Using his text, universities began to mandate witnessing human dissection in physician training. The increasing practice of human dissection marked a large shift, as prior to 1316, there existed cultural practices to open up bodies but none with medical motivations. For years prior, dissections had not been accepted in society or the medical world, and Mondino’s work helped them to return and become a popular practice. His guide served as the primary source of information on dissection during the 1300s.

In the 1400s into the early 1500s, Leonardo di Vinci used Mondino’s teachings to create naturalistic drawings of human anatomy (however, he criticized Mondino for the errors in his diagrams). Around the same time, printing was starting to become more widely available, making it easier to distribute these diagrams. As such, the circulation of high-quality, naturalistic drawings was instrumental in bettering physicians' understanding of human anatomy. In teaching Mondino’s work and performing dissections, the demonstrator and professor guiding the dissection were usually two different people–the professor would often sit above the cadaver and demonstrator, instructing the latter. However, some argue that Mondino himself often served as the demonstrator. With the rise of humanism in the 1400s, in the late 1400s and early 1500s, more anatomists wanted to integrate the hand and mind as Galen had encouraged. And as Vesalius stepped into the picture in the mid-1500s, Mondino’s work began to fade into the background.

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