Vesalius - Pages 1 and 2

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Title Page
The frontispiece shows Vesalius dissecting a cadaver in a crowded anatomical theatre. Of all the figures, only he glances towards the reader, as his right hand points to the body he is dissecting. Before De Fabrica, depictions of anatomical dissections showed the anatomist at a distance from the cadaver, while lower ranking barbers and surgeons did the actual work of dissection. Here the anatomist stands at the centre of the scene, with dissecting instruments close at hand.