The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-02-27


the Fabric of the Human Body.
This book was the first important
and accurate anatomy ever 70 be
compiled. With its publication,
modern medicine began.
The author of the book was
Andreas Vesalius. He had been
born in Belgium and had studied
in the Medical Department of the
University of Paris and the Uni
verslty of Louvain. In Paris he
studied under the famous DR..
Sylvius, who taught anatomy by
reading out of Galen. But young
Vesalius, being of an inquiring
turn of mind, proved to the pro-
fessor and the students, by dis
Secting a dog in their presence,
that what Galen said was not true.
He early acquired his great OBJ
session in life-to find out what
the real anatomy of the human
body was. But he was beset with
difficulties because he could not
obtain material, for there were
strong prejudices in those days
against the dissection of the HUI
man body.
Study Of Human Skeleton
One night, it is said, Vesalius
crept out 10 the environs of Paris
and cut down the skeleton of a
robber who had been left hanging
on the gibbet. The scavenger birds
had picked his bones clean and
Vesalius had, for once, a human
skeleton to study. Until the Uni
versity of Louvain was destroyed
in 1914 by the Huns, a part of
what was probably this skeleton
was still on view in their ana
tomical museum.
Vesalius, after his student days,
moved to Louvain but his dissec-
ton activities got him into hot
water and he moved to the great,
liberal University of Padua in
Italy. Here he obtained human
material for dissection and held
dissections in public and was made
Professor of Anatomy, a chair
which was created for him and
vas the first in the history of the
world. When Vesalius had as
sembled all his material and had
had the plates drawn, he published
in 1543 this magnificent book. He
was only 20 years old at the time
of its publication.
Study of Anatomy
1t is impossible to overestimate
the Importance of this contribu-
ton. Before its publication, me-
dicine everywhere was largely a
set of superstitions, theories and
systems. Even the most learned
physicians had only the vaguest
idea of the anatomy of the human
body.
About q century after its pub
location, William Harvey founded
the science of physiology. A little
more than a century after its
publication the microscope was
brought into use and the study of
the minute structure of the body
was begun. Then there followed
researches in chemistry, pathol-
ogy (the science of the body in
disease), numerous observations
with the thermometer, the count
ing of the pulse and other exact
,,afknJ. 90 roaasnroroapt xuh;oh
tended TO make medical observa-
ton exact. Then only yesterday
practically in our grandfathers'
day came the introduction of
anesthesia and asepsis in surgery
and the knowledge of germs and,
within our own day, the x-ray to
complete the picture of scientific
medicine.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
G.. B.:--Can a diabetic be sure
Of the amount of sugar in the
system by using only the urine
test (urine and Benedict solution,
boiled) without a blood sugar
test?
Answer: Yes. For an practical
purposes in the routine treatment
of diabetes, the urine test is the
most reliable indication of the pa
tents condition. The blood sugar
test is used only under circum-
stances when a physician is in
doubt as to the true condition, or
during an emergency.