Gabrielle Falloppia, 1522/23–1562: The Life and Work of a Renaissance Anatomist

Description

Renaissance anatomist Gabrielle Falloppia is best known today for his account of the eponymous fallopian tubes but he made numerous other anatomical discoveries as well, was one of the most famous surgeons of his time, and is widely believed to have invented the condom. Drawing on Falloppia's Observationes anatomicae of 1561 and on dozens of handwritten and published sets of student notes, this book not only looks at Falloppia’s anatomical lectures and demonstrations. It also studies Falloppia’s work on surgical topics – including the French disease and cosmetic surgery – on thermal waters, and on pharmacology. Last but not least, it uses student notes and the letters of contemporary scholars to throw a new light on Falloppia’s biography, on his very special relationship with the botanist Melchior Wieland, who lived in his house for several years, and on his conflicts with his fellow professors in Padua, one of whom, Bassiano Landi, was murdered just ten days after his funeral – by Falloppia’s disciples, as some believed. Written by one of the leading scholars in the field of early modern medicine, this book will appeal to all those interested in the teaching and practice of anatomy, surgery, and pharmacology in the Renaissance. Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Introduction Sources Structure and organization 1 Biography Modena Ferrara (1540/45–1548) Pisa (1548–1551) Padua ( 1551–1562) 2 Anatomy Lectures Anatomical demonstrations Anatomy and medical practice The anatomist as an executioner? Falloppia’s findings and discoveries Female genitals Ileocaecal valve Lacteals Brain and cranial nerves Eye muscles Auditory organs Heart and major vessels Muscles Vesalius’ response Comparative anatomy 3 Surgery Dermatology: ulcers and other skin conditions Caustics and cauterization The French disease The “condom” Bumps, swellings, and tumors Palliative care Cosmetic medicine Trauma: wounds, dislocations, and fractures 4 Materia medica Medicinal plants Metals, stones, and earths Thermal springs and mineral waters Empirical observation: experimentum, periculum, and total substance 5 Medical practice De modo consultandi Medical cases 6 Last years Leaving Padua? Tensions and conflicts Gabrielle Falloppia and Melchior Wieland The controversy between Mattioli and Wieland A “liaison dangereuse”? Final days 7 Legacy Students and successors Posthumous publications The book of secrets Portraits Sources and bibliography Illustrations Manuscript sources Bibliography of Falloppia’s works Collected works Anatomy Surgery Materia medica General bibliography Index