Anatomical Theatre of Padua
Place where the object is located
Palazzo del Bo, University of Padua.
Story of the object
Built by Girolamo Fabrici d'Acquapendente in 1594 and still perfectly preserved, it is the oldest anatomical theatre in the world. Built according to the canons of the Renaissance, in the shape of an inverted cone with an elliptical plan, it is divided into six tiers varying in width from 7.56 to 2.97 metres, each with a wooden railing. At the entrance, the Latin inscription: ‘Mors ubi gaudet succurrere vitae’. It could hold up to 500 spectators. The first example in the world of a permanent structure created for teaching anatomy by dissecting corpses. The practice developed in parallel with the evolution of medical science and became
commonplace in the 15th century. Documents of the time show how widespread the construction of temporary structures was. The theatres, where anatomists held their lessons and performed operations, were assembled and dismantled when necessary. The last one, built in 1583, cost 133 Venetian lire and 16
denari for the timber used. Their shape was reminiscent of Roman amphitheatres. Bodies for autopsy were handed over to the university by the judicial authorities as they were executed. Dissection was a revolutionary innovative technique for the time. As a didactic and research tool, theatre became a place of
visual learning. Visualisation and sensory perception of the object of study took on a fundamental and decisive role in the training of medical students, marking the transition from a training process based exclusively on theoretical knowledge to an experimental type of learning. The practice of dissection and its performance in the anatomical theatre represent the foundations of a new study methodology based on seeing, knowing and operating. With the institution of the anatomical theatre, a visual culture of anatomy was born. In the theatre, lessons were given by a professor assisted by two students, the massari, who were
responsible for recovering the cadavers for dissection. The massari were allowed to assist the professor by having attended a two-year course of study in Medical Sciences. They were entrusted with the task of organising the lessons and managing the surgical instruments, as well as presiding over administrative and
economic functions such as establishing the enrolment fee for the courses, payment for the lessons and collection of sums. A decree issued by Doge Marino Grimani in 1596 established that the lessons were to be held free of charge. State funds were used to finance the activities. The dissection of corpses was performed on a special table surrounded by six rounds of walnut boxes. Originally, the room had a movable roof to allow odours to escape. In 1861, an adjoining room was added for student practice.The execution began with the examination of the abdominal organs most quickly exposed to the process of putrefaction and ended with the analysis and study of the bones. On one side of the table, leaning against the back of a walnut inlaid chair, sat the professor who read the texts. The chair is now preserved in the Anatomical Theatre of Padua. Behind him, on small stools, were the "massari". An expert engraver dissected the corpse, the ostentor pointed out the organs during the performance.On the other side of the table, in the carpeted stalls, was a row of chairs on which sat the city rectors, the rector of the Studium and a few noblemen. Behind them were the lecturers and members of the Medical College. Because of space constraints, some sat in tiny cells below the first turn of the theatre, called “lower seats”, with small
windows. The Councillors of the Nations sat in the first round of the theatre while the students, from whom freshmen were excluded, took their seats in the following rounds. The audience applauded as if at a performance. Before the start of the lecture, the corpse was covered with a funeral cloth and had its head
wrapped in a black veil. When the professor entered the classroom, an assistant masseur uncovered the corpse by placing a six-candle candelabrum on the table. Later, from the 19th century, the table was lit by a skylight. To make the atmosphere less gloomy and soothe the minds of those present, it was common to accompany the lessons with live classical music by qualified instrumentalists. The classroom-laboratory was the site of fundamental discoveries in the medical field. It was in Padua that the English physician William Harvey, a pupil of Girolamo Fabrici d'Acquapendente, witnessed the discovery of valves in the venous system by his master. Anatomical Theatre of PaduaGiovan Battista Morgagni taught anatomy there from 1715 to 1771. The 16th century was the century in which the Anatomical Theatre of Padua reached the height of its prestige. Andrea Vesalius drew his masterpiece De Humani corporis fabrica from the Paduan experience (1543). The great anatomist held his lessons in the theatre and refers to it in his work. Among the great anatomists of the 16th century are Gabriele Falloppio and Girolamo Fabrici d'Acquapendente, to whom we owe the realisation of the theatre. An eminent surgeon and professor at the University of Padua, Fabrici Acquapendente made a decisive contribution to the evolution of anatomy teaching through the introduction of coloured anatomical illustrations. The theatre was used until 1874.
commonplace in the 15th century. Documents of the time show how widespread the construction of temporary structures was. The theatres, where anatomists held their lessons and performed operations, were assembled and dismantled when necessary. The last one, built in 1583, cost 133 Venetian lire and 16
denari for the timber used. Their shape was reminiscent of Roman amphitheatres. Bodies for autopsy were handed over to the university by the judicial authorities as they were executed. Dissection was a revolutionary innovative technique for the time. As a didactic and research tool, theatre became a place of
visual learning. Visualisation and sensory perception of the object of study took on a fundamental and decisive role in the training of medical students, marking the transition from a training process based exclusively on theoretical knowledge to an experimental type of learning. The practice of dissection and its performance in the anatomical theatre represent the foundations of a new study methodology based on seeing, knowing and operating. With the institution of the anatomical theatre, a visual culture of anatomy was born. In the theatre, lessons were given by a professor assisted by two students, the massari, who were
responsible for recovering the cadavers for dissection. The massari were allowed to assist the professor by having attended a two-year course of study in Medical Sciences. They were entrusted with the task of organising the lessons and managing the surgical instruments, as well as presiding over administrative and
economic functions such as establishing the enrolment fee for the courses, payment for the lessons and collection of sums. A decree issued by Doge Marino Grimani in 1596 established that the lessons were to be held free of charge. State funds were used to finance the activities. The dissection of corpses was performed on a special table surrounded by six rounds of walnut boxes. Originally, the room had a movable roof to allow odours to escape. In 1861, an adjoining room was added for student practice.The execution began with the examination of the abdominal organs most quickly exposed to the process of putrefaction and ended with the analysis and study of the bones. On one side of the table, leaning against the back of a walnut inlaid chair, sat the professor who read the texts. The chair is now preserved in the Anatomical Theatre of Padua. Behind him, on small stools, were the "massari". An expert engraver dissected the corpse, the ostentor pointed out the organs during the performance.On the other side of the table, in the carpeted stalls, was a row of chairs on which sat the city rectors, the rector of the Studium and a few noblemen. Behind them were the lecturers and members of the Medical College. Because of space constraints, some sat in tiny cells below the first turn of the theatre, called “lower seats”, with small
windows. The Councillors of the Nations sat in the first round of the theatre while the students, from whom freshmen were excluded, took their seats in the following rounds. The audience applauded as if at a performance. Before the start of the lecture, the corpse was covered with a funeral cloth and had its head
wrapped in a black veil. When the professor entered the classroom, an assistant masseur uncovered the corpse by placing a six-candle candelabrum on the table. Later, from the 19th century, the table was lit by a skylight. To make the atmosphere less gloomy and soothe the minds of those present, it was common to accompany the lessons with live classical music by qualified instrumentalists. The classroom-laboratory was the site of fundamental discoveries in the medical field. It was in Padua that the English physician William Harvey, a pupil of Girolamo Fabrici d'Acquapendente, witnessed the discovery of valves in the venous system by his master. Anatomical Theatre of PaduaGiovan Battista Morgagni taught anatomy there from 1715 to 1771. The 16th century was the century in which the Anatomical Theatre of Padua reached the height of its prestige. Andrea Vesalius drew his masterpiece De Humani corporis fabrica from the Paduan experience (1543). The great anatomist held his lessons in the theatre and refers to it in his work. Among the great anatomists of the 16th century are Gabriele Falloppio and Girolamo Fabrici d'Acquapendente, to whom we owe the realisation of the theatre. An eminent surgeon and professor at the University of Padua, Fabrici Acquapendente made a decisive contribution to the evolution of anatomy teaching through the introduction of coloured anatomical illustrations. The theatre was used until 1874.
Unit of the Educational Material connected (4 - 1)
Label
Girolamo Fabrici d’Acquapendente
Year 1594
Year 1594
