ANDREAS VESALIUS, ON THE FABRIC OF THE HUMAN BODY.
ON THE INSTRUMENTS WHICH ought to be at hand for the student of ANATOMY. Chapter 41.

ILLUSTRATION OF ANATOMICAL INSTRUMENTS.

A detailed woodcut illustration of a heavy wooden dissection table (A) upon which various anatomical and surgical instruments are displayed. A secondary wooden board (B) with holes (C) sits atop the main table. Metal rings (D) are attached to the legs and sides, with one linked to a chain (E). The instruments include: various scalpels and knives of different sizes and shapes (F, G, H, I, K), surgical hooks (L), metal styles and a syringe (M), large and small curved needles (N, n), a bone saw (O), small scissors (P), a wooden mallet (Q), and hollow reeds or tubes (R). The items are labeled with letters corresponding to the index below.

of the figures and their labels for the forty-first chapter.

In the present figure, we have depicted a board resting upon a table, which we use in the dissection of living animals Vesalius refers here to vivisection, often performed on pigs or dogs to demonstrate functions like breathing or the heartbeat.: then, to this board, we have adapted nearly all the things that one might use in the performance of dissections, and indeed throughout the whole study of Anatomy.

A, A The Table, upon which all the other items to be indicated in order are spread.

B, B The Board, suitable for performing dissections on living subjects.

C, C Various holes, in which we use loops according to the size of the animal, for when we bind the thighs and arms.

D, D Rings of this sort are adapted for binding the hands and feet.

E To this ring the upper jaw (free from the lower) is bound with a small chain, so that the head is kept unmoved; meanwhile, neither the voice nor the breathing is obstructed by the bindings, as might otherwise happen. In the 16th century, vocalization and breathing were key areas of study in live subjects; Vesalius designed his table to ensure the animal could still breathe and "cry out" so the effects of nerve manipulation could be observed.

F, F Different kinds of razors, near which a sponge lies.

G Knives, shaped like those used for sharpening quill pens.

H A common knife such as is used at the [dining] table.

I A large and strong knife.

K Knives made of boxwood. original: "e buxo parati." These were likely used for blunt dissection to separate delicate tissues without cutting them.

L Hooks. Hamuli Small surgical hooks used to retract skin or hold vessels out of the way.

M Various styles Probes or blunt-ended needles. together with a syringe.

N, N Curved needles with thicker thread, with which we bind together bundles of notes. original: "literarum fasciculos colligamus." While literally "bundles of letters," this may refer to organizing anatomical labels or specimens during a long demonstration.

n Smaller needles, which we adapt for sewing up wounds.

O A saw.

P Small scissors.

Q A wooden mallet.

R Reeds, suitable for inflating the lungs and certain other parts. Arundines; these were used like straws to blow air into the lungs or vessels to make them visible and demonstrate their capacity.