Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1849-01-20
TRAGICAL SKETCH.
THE SURGEONS REVENGE.

The following deeply interesting story
was related by DR.. Gibson, in one of his
lectures before the medical class of the
University of Pennsylvania. The Hero of
the story is Vesale, one of the most eminent
of the Italian surgeons:
Andre Vesale, says the manuscript, first
saw the light in the city of Brussels, in the
year 1914. His father was an apothecary,
attached to the service of the Princess Mar
garet, aunt of the Emperor Charles ", and
governess ofthe low countries.
Up to the period when Vesale first rend-
cred himself conspicuous, the anatomy of
the human body was so imperfectly UNDER
stood, as scarcely to merit that the term of
science should be applied to the dim and
confused ideas relating to it. Vesale was
the first to break through the trammels with
which ignorance and bigotry had crippled
the march of science surmounting with
admirable courage and constancy, the dis
gust, the terror, and even the peril, insep-
arabic from this description of labor, in
which he had devoted himself, he was to
be seen whole days and nights in the ceme-
teries, surrounded by the fostering remains
of mortality, or lowering about the gibbets,
and disputing with the vulture for its prey,
in order to compose perfect skeleton from
the remains of executed animals left there
to be devoured by the carrion-bird.
1t was during a sojourn at Basle, after
his return from Italy, that Vesale first be-
held at the house of Hans Hobien, the
painter, Isabella Van Steenwryk, the daugh-
ter of a merchant at Haerlem, who was
destined to exercise some influence over his
future life. He was scarcely twenty-eight
years of age, and already he had attained
the summit of well directed ambition.
The family of Van. Steenwryk was a
wealthy and honorable one, far superior to
that of Vesale, in birth and fortune; but
the distinguished position the latter had ac-
quired for himself, entitled him to aspire to
an alliance even more exalted. The son
ofthe Princess Margaret's apothecary would
have been rejected by the rich Haerlem
burgher; the Emperor's first physician was
accepted by him as the most eligible SON.
in-law. The marriage solemnized, Vesale,
accompanied by his young bride, set off for
Seville, where Charles then held his court.
She loved her husband, there was so much
awe mingled with her affection as to throw
an appearance of restraint over her demean-
or towards him, even in the privacy of do
mestic life. The very nature of his pro-
fession and occupation was calculated to
increase that awe, and even to create some
degree of repugnance, in shrinking mind,
which nothing but strong affection. could
overcome. Isabela's nature required skill
iui drawing out and tender fostering. Ve-
sa'e' unfortunately, mistook her temerity
ior coldness, and resented it accordingly /;
,n's ied to estrangement on her part, which
ne attributed TO dislike, and jealous distrust
al last took possession ofhis soul.
Amidst the galleries of Seville, where
for woman to be young and attractive,
was to command the attention and author
ize the devotion of the other sex, il was no
difficult task to arouse the susceptibilities of
a suspicious husband.