The Importance of Functionality in Anatomy

Anatomy is treated as a true empirical science, which begins with observation and works towards causal principles that explain what has been observed. The idea was central to the project of Hieronymus Vabritsius, who was professor of anatomy at Padua beginning in 1565. As a good Aristotelian, he was interested in the parts of animals, not just humans. He published studies of individual animal organs like the eye, larynx and ear,. This expressed his Aristotelist belief in the functionality of these body parts. Cardano made detailed case notes on his medical practice and his own troubled medical history. His works bring together themes we've already been discussing,