Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564), Dutch anatomist. Vesalius was born at Brussels into a family of physicians. After early education in Brussels he studied at the universities at Louvain and Paris. His doctorate was gained at Padua, and on graduation he was immediately offered the chair of anatomy and surgery. He taught by demonstrating dissection on corpses, rather than simply reading the classical writings of Galen. When Vesalius discovered Galen had used apes instead of humans for dissection, he set about correcting Galen's works. Vesalius completely overturned the wisdom of the day, creating the first reasonably accurate description of human anatomy based on his own observations. These were published in De humani corporis fabrica in 1543, one of the greatest books in history. This woodcut comes from van Opmeer's Opus chronologium orbis universi published at Antwerp in 1611.