The Italian Cultural Institute presents Andreas Vesalius (1515-1564): A Pioneer in Medicine, a lecture by Prof. Damiano Rondelli, University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System, on Nov. 19, at 6 p.m.

Professor Rondelli will talk about the life of Andreas Vesalius, a professor of anatomy at the University of Padova, who in 1543 radically changed the course of the history of medicine.

Rondelli will explain the dramatic difference between images of anatomy before Vesalius’ work and those of his time. He will illustrate his lecture by showing a variety of images, among them, celebrated works of art by Italian Renaissance painters, such as Mantegna, Signorelli, and Michelangelo.

The event will be presented on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the birth of Vesalius.

At the time, the center of the world for science and medicine was Padova. Vesalius graduated from the University of Padova where he remained as a teacher of anatomy. For the first time in public he fostered the direct observation of the dissection of cadavers.

Surgery and anatomy were then considered of little importance in comparison to the other branches of medicine. However, Vesalius believed that surgery had to be grounded in anatomy. Unusually, he always performed dissections himself and produced anatomical charts of the blood and nervous systems as a reference aid for his students, which were widely copied.

In 1543, Vesalius published ‘De Humani Corporis Fabrica’. The book was based largely on human dissection, and transformed anatomy into a subject that relied on observations taken directly from human dissections.

This event is free and open to the public.  A reception will follow. To RSVP, please click here.