belonged to Dr. Mead, now in the British Museum, and from it this
picture was taken. One of the most interesting features of the book are
the full-page illustrations of the anatomy of the arteries, veins
and nerves. They had not in those days the art of making corrosion
preparations, but they could in some way dissect to their finest
ramifications the arteries, veins and nerves, which were then spread on
boards and dried. Several such preparations are now at the College of
Physicians in London, brought from Padua by Harvey. The plates of the
muscles are remarkably good, more correct, though not better perhaps, on
the whole, than some of Leonardo's.

(22) The next, in 1559, is recorded by Plater in his
autobiography, who gave a public dissection during three days in
the Church of St. Elizabeth.

Vesalius had no idea of a general circulation. Though he had escaped
from the domination of the great Pergamenian in anatomy, he was still
his follower in physiology. The two figures annexed, taken from one
of the two existing copies of the "Tabulae Anatomica," are unique in
anatomical illustration, and are of special value as illustrating the
notion of the vascular system that prevailed until Harvey's day. I
have already called your attention to Galen's view of the two separate
systems, one containing the coarse, venous blood for the general
nutrition of the body, the other the arterial, full of a thinner, warmer
blood with which were distributed the vital spirits and the vital
heat. The veins had their origin in the liver; the superior vena cava
communicated with the right heart, and, as Galen taught, some blood was
distributed to the lungs; but the two systems were closed, though Galen
believed there was a communication at the periphery between the
arteries and veins. Vesalius accepted Galen's view that there is some
communication between the venous and arterial systems through pores
in the septum of the ventricles, though he had his doubts, and in the
second edition of his book (1555) says that inspite of the authority
of the Prince of Physicians he cannot see how the smallest quantity of
blood could be transmitted through so dense a muscular septum. Two years
before this (1553),(*) his old fellow student, Michael Servetus, had in
his "Christianismi Restitutio" annatomical touch with one another!

(*) See the Servetus Notes in the Osler Anniversary Volumes, New
York, 1919, Vol. II.--Ed.

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