When the output is considered, he cannot have
had much spare time at Padua.
He did not create human anatomy--that had been done by the
Alexandrians--but he studied it in so orderly and thorough a manner
that for the first time in history it could be presented in a way that
explained the entire structure of the human body. Early in 1542 the MS.
was ready; the drawings had been made with infinite care, the blocks for
the figures had been cut, and in September, he wrote to Oporinus urging
that the greatest pains should be taken with the book, that the paper
should be strong and of equal thickness, the workmen chosen for their
skill, and that every detail of the pictures must be distinctly visible.
He writes with the confidence of a man who realized the significance of
the work he had done. It is difficult to speak in terms of moderation of
the "Fabrica." To appreciate its relative value one must compare it with
the other anatomical works of the period, and for this purpose I
put before you two figures from a text-book on the subject that was
available for students during the first half of the sixteenth century.
In the figures and text of the "Fabrica" we have anatomy as we know it;
and let us be honest and say, too, largely as Galen knew it.
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