Over the years many inventions, discoveries where seen and studied but when all these started no proper tools, machines where there but yet we humans still did!
Let us being with whom and when the exploration begin...:
1. Greek Period (B.C.)
a. Hippocrates of Cos (circa 400 B.C.), the 'Father of Medicine', is regarded as one of the founders of anatomy.
He had two theories in his ancient school of Greek Medicine, first was Knidian which was also known as School of Medicine which mainly focused on diagnosis. The other was Koan that mainly applied general diagnosis and passive treatment, also it focused on patient care, prognosis and not on the diagnosis.
b. Herophilus of Chalcedon (circa 300 B.C.), is called 'Father of Anatomy'. He was a Greek physician and was one of the first to dissect the Human Body. He distinguished cerebrum from cerebellum, nerves from tendons, arteries from veins, motor from sensory nerves, described various parts of eye, meninges, torcular Herophili, fourth ventricle with calamus scriptorius, hyoid bone, duodenum, prostrate gland, etc. He was a successful teacher and wrote a book on anatomy, A special treatise of the eyes.
2. Roman Period (A.D.)
Galen of Pergamum (Circa 130-200 A.D.) was also known as 'The Prince of Physicians', practised medicine at Rome. He wrote on many medical subjects like anatomy, physiology, pathology, symptomalogy and treatment. He wrote on anatomy "De anatomicis-administrationibus", his teachings were followed nearly 15 centuries
3. Fourteenth Century:
Mundinus or Mondino d'Luzzi (1276-1326) alao known as the "restorer of anatomy", was an Italian anatomistand professor at University of Bologna. He wrote a book named as Anathomia, after his death, Mondino was regarded as a "divine master" to such an extent that anything differing from the descriptions in his book was regarded as anomalous or even monstrous.
4. Fifteenth Century:
Leonardo di Vinci of Italy (1452-1519) had originated the cross sectional anatomy, also was one of the greatest geniuses the world has ever known. He made the observations that humours were not located in cerebral spaces or ventricles. He documented that the humours were not contained in the heart or the liver, and that it was the heart that defined the circulatory system. He was the first to define atherosclerosis and liver cirrhosis. He created models of the cerebral ventricles with the use of melted wax and constructed a glass aorta to observe the circulation of blood through the aortic valve by using water and grass seed to watch flow patterns. The drawing of his where created by his observation on dissection named as Treatise on painting.
5. Sixteenth Century:
Vesalius (1514-1564), also known as 'Reformer of Anatomy', was a professor at Padua. He challenged traditional anatomy by applying empirical methods of cadaveric dissection to the study of the human body by Galen thus reviving anatomy after a deadlock of about 15 centuries. His anatomical treatise De Febricia Humani Corporis, written in 7 volumes, revolutionized the anatomy which remained for 2 centuries.
6. Seventeenth Century:
William Harvey (1578-1657) was an English physician who discovered the blood circulation. His has wrote and published it as Anatomical Exercise on the Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals, The Works of William Harvey & The Circulation of the Blood and other writings.
William Harvey (1578-1657) was an English physician who discovered the blood circulation. His has wrote and published it as Anatomical Exercise on the Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals, The Works of William Harvey & The Circulation of the Blood and other writings.
7. Eighteenth Century:
William Hunter (1718-1783) was a London anatomist and obstetrician. His greatest work was Anatomia uteri umani gravidi. He and his brother founded Hunterian Museum.
8. Nineteenth Century:
Dissection was mandatory for medical students. Formalin was used as a fixative in 1890s.
Roentgen discovered X-rays in 1895.
Various types of Endoscopes were devised between 1819 and 1899.
Few remarkable anatomists during this century were Ashley Cooper (British Surgeon), Cuvier (French Naturalist), Meckel (German Anatomist) and Henry Gray (wrote Gray's Anatomy).
9. Twentieth Century:
Electron Microscope was invented and also its various modificationsof itswere also devised like transmission EM & SEM, etc.
Ultrasonography & echocardiography were discovered.
CT - Scan and MRI were devised.
Tissue culture was developed.
Infertility was discovered, which gave hopes to families Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer (GIFT) was started.
10. Twenty First Century:
Foetal medicine and 'in-utero' treatments are emerging.
Many vaccines are researched for various diseases including COVID 19.
by Dr. Palak Shah
