Hieronymous Fabricius ab Acquapendente (1533-1619)

Born Hieronymus Fabricius in 1533 at Acquapendente, he began studying Greek, Latin, and philosophy at the University of Padova as a teenager. By his twentieth birthday he was studying medicine and had become the favored pupil of Fallopius, whom he succeeded in 1565 as professor of anatomy and surgery. Fabricius was a renowned and popular teacher who did everything he could to avoid teaching (Favaro, 1922a). Though more inclined toward research than lecturing, Fabricius’ dedication to academia is unquestionable. In 1594 he built the first permanent theatre ever designed for public anatomical dissections, thus revolutionizing the teaching of anatomy (Fig. 2). Since the 15th century Paduan anatomists had carried out anatomical dissections only during the cold months in a temporary theatre set up in a ventilated place and built as the arena of Verona or the Colosseum in Rome, with the cadaver placed in the center. The Rector of the University, who was a student, had to locate every year two cadavers of criminals under penalty. The students were allowed to assist with the dissections only if they had studied for 2 years and had paid a fee.,...