Anatomy: The study of the parts and structures of the human body.
We will go back in time for a few thousand years to find the inception of anatomy.
First, What are anatomy and physiology? What is the difference?
Anatomy is the study of the structure of the body. Physiology: the study of how the body works. So
now we know the difference, anatomy is about structure, and physiology is about function.
Anatomy is the oldest scientific discipline of medicine.
The term anatomy is originated from a Greek word that means "to cut up".
The history of anatomy dates back over 3000 years; it continues to evolve until the present day.
Anatomists of the period studied anatomy by dissecting animals, particularly
pigs and monkeys. The first documented scientific dissection of the human body
is dated as early as the third century B.C in Alexandria.
According to the ancient Chinese, everything in the universe was dependent
on the balance of the two opposing cosmic principles of yin and yang.
That points at The pairs of equal opposites attract and complement each other.
This belief provided the rationale for the practice of acupuncture.
The greek philosophy dominated medical thought for over 2,000 years.
Hippocrates (460–377 B.C.) is considered the father of medicine because of his
school's sound principles of medical practice.
Erasistratus, another greek anatomist, was more interested in the physiology of the body.
He is referred to as the father of physiology; he thought that the heart's left ventricle was
filled with vital air spirit that came in from the lungs and that the arteries transported this air.
In addition to a great library, there was also a school of medicine in Alexandria.
The study of anatomy flourished because of the acceptance of dissections of human cadavers.
Herophilus was a Greek physician who later moved to Alexandria,
contributing to understanding the nervous system.
The majority of the scientific documents from the Roman Empire are collections of material
gained from Greek and Egyptian anatomists. New anatomical information was scarce.
Roman doctors were not permitted to dissect human bodies unless to determine the cause of death;
their knowledge of human anatomy was restricted.
The middle ages were the period that witnessed the collapse of the roman empire.
Limited progress followed that in anatomy; meanwhile, the Islamic world was flourishing,
the surviving scientific western scholarship from the ruin was transferred to the Arab countries.
Anatomy evolved in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, that period is known
as the renaissance; it became a more popular topic among scientists. During this period,
the circulation of blood was discovered by William Harvey. Thanks to Vesalius, who is regarded as the
father of human anatomy, he had a tremendous impact on the advancement of human anatomy.
Significant scientific contributions happened during this century.
The cell theory was the most significant breakthrough because it explained that the
body's function was directly related to cellular function.
In the twentieth century, the science of anatomy became more specialized, and research became more
detailed and complex. During the twentieth century, life expectancy at birth increased
from 48 to 74 years for men, and from 51 to almost 80 years for women. The technology grew
so fast that imaging anatomy progressed with CTscan, MRIs, Ultrasound, Petscans machines.
Congratulation for making it alive to the twenty-first century. How are we
now contributing to the field of anatomy? In 2003, Scientists realized the sequencing of
the human genome or genetic blueprint that points out the mutations leading to cancer.
Using stem cells, scientists can grow human organs, which they can use for studies,
with a promising potential to use in the future for transplants.
We cannot end a topic about the history of anatomy
without mentioning some names that left a significant impact through history.
Menes, Egyptian, wrote what is thought to be the first manual on anatomy about 3400 B.C. Galen,
a Greek anatomist, was probably the most influential medical writer of all time;
he established principles that went unchallenged for 1,500 years. Leonardo da Vinci created
anatomical drawings of unprecedented quality based on human cadaver dissection.
Schleiden and Schwann formulated the cell theory in 1839, which was considered one of
the most notable breakthroughs in medicine. Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, a German physicist,
discovered X-rays accidentally in 1895, which now remain a cornerstone of modern medicine.