0"T' LAERT> "! - USP

TEACHING IN ANATOMY. 243
at Dresden* contains initials with drawings illustrating
incidents in a doctor's life, and also several anatomical
demonstrations. It appears evident from this that in
teaching, naked persons were brought forward on whom
the particular parts of the human body were pointed out
and explained. Perhaps the internal organs were indicated
by outlines upon the skin. The dissection of animals
formed the aid to anatomical teaching in most general use
In Salerno, pigs were used, by preference, for this purpose ;'
in other academies this example was imitated. Again,'
bears, monkeys, but especially dogs were made use of.f
In the pecuniary accounts of the medical departments of
this period the purchase of pigs and other animals for
anatomical investigation sometimes played a not inconsiderable
part. The dissection of the bodies of the lower
animals continued to be usual, after that of the human subject
had become an established thing, since an opportunity
for the latter was but seldom afforded.
Dissection of the human subject was in the first centuries
of the middle ages opposed by religious and political
ordinances and also by social prejudices. It seems, that
the doctors of that time were not entirely without this
most important medium of medical education; but the '
anatomical knowledge of GALEN and his expounders
satisfied them, and no desire for independent investigation
was manifested by them. Doctors of intelligence certainly
never failed to recognize the importance of anatomy to •'•
medicine;{ but not before the 13th and 14th centuries'
* Codex Galeni No. 92, 93, with the commenta.y of NICOL V. REGGIO NO
92, fol. 19b, 26b, 34b, 50a, 59a, 83b, 93b, 96b, ,09a, ,Sla, 158a, ,64b, , V
lK, 3 ° 4a 'r L ' CH ° ULANT: Geschichte und Bibliographic der anatomischen
Abbildung, Leipzig 1852, S. 2.
t MONDINO: de anatomia (matricis).-Mag. Richardus in HAESER op cit
'' I :~H' ' Ver 2 an S enhdt u "d Gegenwart des Museums fur
menschliche Anatomie an d. Wiener Universita:, Wien 1869, p : xii
X Thus TADDEO ALDEROTTI (.223-1303), declared that'he could give no
accurate information on the nature of pregnancy, since he had unfortunately
never had an opportunity of dissecting a pregnant woman.-A. CORRADI •