History of Anatomy Practice Flashcards

A set of vocabulary flashcards detailing the historical figures, definitions, and milestones in the study of anatomy from the prehistoric era to the 19th century.

Anatomy

The study of the structure, shape, parts of the body and their relationship with each other.

Gross Anatomy

Study of structures visible to the naked eye.

Microscopic Anatomy

Study of structures visible in the microscope.

Trepanation

The prehistoric practice of drilling a hole in the skull to release intracranial pressure caused by an injury.

King Menes

A king-physician during the first Egyptian dynasty ($3400\,B.C.$) who attempted systematization of the body from the head downwards, practiced mummification, and wrote the first anatomy manual.

Hippocrates (460-377 B.C.)

Known as the Father of Medicine and for the Hippocratic Oath; he attributed diseases to natural causes rather than the displeasure of the Gods.

Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

The Founder of Comparative Anatomy and tutor of Alexander the Great who named the "AORTA," differentiated arteries and veins, and believed the heart was the seat of intelligence.

Herophilus (Approx 325 B.C.)

Alexandrian teacher who performed vivisections, regarded the brain as the seat of intelligence, classified nerves as sensory or motor, and is credited with the discovery of the ovum.

Claudius Galen (A.D. 130-201)

Considered the best physician since Hippocrates; he identified that arteries and veins contain blood and studied the functions of the kidney and spinal cord.

Middle Ages (Medieval Period)

Known as the "Dark Ages," a period where anatomy became stagnant in Europe due to the Church's power, while knowledge advanced in the Middle East and North Africa.

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)

An Italian genius and anatomist who produced high-quality anatomical drawings based on human cadaver dissections.

Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564)

The FATHER OF MODERN ANATOMY who dissected criminals and wrote the first accurate book on human anatomy, De Humani Corporis Fabrica.

De Humani Corporis Fabrica

The first accurate book on human anatomy, written by Andreas Vesalius.

William Harvey (1578-1657)

He demonstrated the function of the circulatory system and conducted experiments on the motion of the heart and blood in animals.

Marcello Malpighi (1628-1634)

The founder of microscopical anatomy and histology who first confirmed the existence of capillaries; his name is associated with corpuscles in the kidney and bodies in the spleen.

Antonue van Leeuwenheuk (1632-1723)

The Father of microbiology who redefined the microscope, discovered various cells and tissues, and coined the term animalcule.

Animalcule

A term coined by Antonue van Leeuwenheuk to describe his discoveries under the microscope.

Anatomy Act of 1832

A regulation for the supply of cadavers for medical research and teaching, granting anatomists access to unclaimed bodies.