History of Printing Medical Texts

Medical texts throughout history have shown us how societies have changed their approach to treating illness and disease over time, and how drastically these approaches may differ from society to society. This page specifically focuses on the printing of medical texts across different cultures and societies throughout history.

Early Civilizations

Prior to the invention of the printing press, the vast majority of medical texts were written and copied by hand. There are some exceptions like woodblock printing in China, which could be traced back to as early as 220 AD. Even before the invention of papermaking, various early societies have used a wide range of methods to record and copy medical texts.

Mesopotamia and Cuneiform

The oldest Babylonian medical texts date back to around 2000 BCE, and were written in Sumerian through cuneiform. The most well-known and extensive medical text was the Akkadian Diagnostic Handbook, authored by Esagil-kin-apli during the reign of Adad-apla-iddina (1069–1046 BCE)

The Renaissance and Mechanical Printing

The Work of Andreas Vesalius

Andreas Vesalius (31 December 1514 – 15 October 1564) was a Renaissance physician in the 16th century who played a major role in advancing the study of anatomy through his most famous work, De humani corporis fabrica libri septem ("On the fabric of the human body in seven books"). Vesalius believed that anatomy could only be taught and learned through dissection and observation, which was reflected in his detailed anatomical models and descriptions. His conception of the human body as a system of interconnected parts pioneered a new method of studying and teaching anatomy that closely resembles modern practices. Vesalius' magnum opus, De humani corporis fabrica libri septem, was a collection of seven different books that each focused on a different component of the human body:

1. The Bones and Cartilages
2. The Ligaments and Muscles
3. The Veins and Arteries
4. The Nerves
5. The Organs of Nutrition and Generation
6. The Heart and Associated Organs
7. The Brain

Vesalius' work was not particularly renowned its content, but rather for the 250+ illustrations of the human body. The books were printed using woodblock engravings, which allowed for incredible precision and detail. While the specific artists and woodcutters that Vesalius employed are unknown, it is generally agreed upon that the illustrations came from the "circle of Titian," and Titian himself chose the woodcut that would be used to reproduce the drawings. Vasalius would would ultimately use 254 woodblocks for the anatomical illustrations, and 22 more would be used in another version of his work called De humani corporis fabrica librorum epitome, commonly referred to as Epitome.

Although the artistic sources remain unknown, the illustrations and figures in Vesalius' works masterfully combined elegance and anatomical accuracy, and greatly surpassed those in any other medical texts at the time. A very well-preserved copy of the De humani corporis fabrica libri septem can be found in the World Digital Library.