ABSTRACT
In his landmark study On the Fabric of the Human Body (1543), Andreas Vesalius launched a withering critique of Galen, the ancient physician whose anatomical writings had held sway for nearly fourteen centuries. Through dissecting human cadavers and comparing his findings with the texts, Vesalius had identified over 200 errors, which he attributed overwhelmingly to Galen’s reliance upon apes:
It is now clear to me from the reborn art of dissection, from diligent reading of Galen’s books and their restoration in several places . . . that he never dissected a human body; but deceived by his monkeys (simiis) . . . he frequently and improperly opposed the ancient physicians trained in human dissection. 1
Although he notes in passing that Galen had erred even in his descriptions of apes, Vesalius focused his attack upon the contrast between human and simian anatomies. 2 Following Aristotle, Galen had stated that “there is an exact similarity between the parts of a human and those of a monkey.” 3 Working from that assumption, although he did signal the outwardly visible distinctions in fingers and in the bend of the knee, Galen had overlooked major discrepancies in internal organs.