Success of "De Humani Corporis Fabrica"

Page from "De Humani Corporis Fabrica"

Ah the success around these years has induced feelings within my cranium that my emotions cannot be expressed properly in this post. Immediately after publishing my research as the 7 Volume, 663 page book including three hundred anatomical drawings by the painter Jan Stefan called “De Humani Corporis Fabrica", pirated versions of my volume immediately appeared... Just as I had expected … In these few successful years I've published numerous things including the Tabulae sex, The Venesection letter, and a revision of Galen’s work called The Opera Galeni. I have heard several rumors indicating that my books have set some basis for medical textbooks to come…

Earlier during the year I had done a public dissection with the surgeon Franz Jeckelmann where we had masterfully constructed a skeleton of a human. This skeleton would help me completely prove my previous arguments against the studies of Galen which I had made 2 years ago in 1541. Not only would it accomplish that, but it would help me in the research for my book. For the lucky victim of the dissection, we used the corpse of Jakob Karrer von Gebweiler (a supposedly famous felon from Switzerland) who had been beheaded on May 12, 1543. His skeletal system was reconstructed and preserved in a fashion described in my book, “De Humani Corporis Fabrica". We later donated the skeleton to the University of Basle where they have seemingly placed it safely for use in years to come. To prepare the bones of this structure, I had placed these bones in a pot and boiled it in hot water until the flesh could easily be removed. Various other parts I had taken my time simply scrape off the excess tissue on the bones.

These methods and recent success put together has allowed me to consider taking a new job a bit more honorable than the one as of now, to be the Imperial Physician of Emperor Charles V.