ABSTRACT
The Western tradition of anatomy rested on the Anatomical Method, the inference from anatomy to physiology: ‘The ultimate goal of anatomy has always been physiology - that is, functional anatomy - and one of the most powerful methodological tools of earlier physiologists was dissection’. Public anatomies were originally theatrical spectacles that viewers paid to see; tickets for the annual public anatomy were sold at Padua in 1497, apparently before tickets were sold for plays. The tradition of the anatomy demonstration led to the construction of specialised buildings, anatomy theatres, of a circular or semi-circular shape, with tiered levels where observers stood or sat, looking down and in on the dissector and the corpse. The gradual cornering of the market in medical training by the hospitals led to major changes in its organisation. In terms of dispositions, Co-operation was introduced into medical schools and, along with it, Competition.
