Cracovian medical studies in XVI century were of strictly theoretical character. The scholars learned about the structure of human body only on rare occasions. This is testified by Marcin Siennik in Applied medicines 1564: 'one watched pigs being slaughtered for Easter and weddings, to see where the heart is, or hole leading from nose to the brain. [...] or when a villain was cut into pieces on a Cracov market-square, the facultas medica accompanied by the headmaster, doctor es civitatis and other medics, went to see if a human is built the same way as a pig'. In Poland, the first recorded autopsy took place in 1626. It was executed by Joahim Olhafius, anatomy lecturer from Gdansk, on the corpse of an infant.
In the west of Europe, in big academic centres, such as Basel, Paris, Montpelier, Bologna and Padua, anatomy lectures accompanied by autopsies were introduced in XV century. They quickly led to a breakthrough in this field of science. Until then, for 13 centuries, Galen (I century A.D.) remained the unquestioned medical authority. Adreas Vesalius (1514-1564) the founder of Paduan school is considered to be the father of present anatomy. Although Vesalius was wrong in many details, the treaty De humani corporis fabrica libri septem, published in 1543 revolutionised the knowledge about human body. Its value was compared to the Copernicus’ treaty On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres and attention was drawn to the simultaneous creation of macro and microcosm.
Thanks to Vesalius, Padua became the main centre of anatomical studies. Initial autopsies for the needs of anatomy lessons were conducted in lecture rooms, pharmacies, private houses of professors, or even in a church. In 1584-1592 Padua had a tent-theatre which in 1595 was replaced by an old wooden amphitheatre. Six galleries taking two joined floors of Palazzo del Bo can still hold up to 300 spectators. It was recorded in The Acts of German Nation that the inaugural post-mortem in the theatre attracted the audience from outside the university: 'All townspeople headed there, even the ones of frail condition gathered like in a market stand with treats. The benches were occupied by Jews, teachers, tailors, shoemakers, producers of sandals, butchers, fishmongers, and carriers.
Anatomy show was no longer the lesson of human body for students, but became public show, attracting curious audience. Everybody could watch the show paying admission fee. (The custom introduced in Padua, quickly spread to other centres). It took place once a year. Corpses of convicts in middle age were used and the appearance of the body was an important factor. Male corpses were preferred because of their muscularity and lack of fat tissue. The deceased could not come from the town where post-mortem was executed, to minimize the risk that their family or relatives would be in the audience. The autopsy was carried out at the time of carnival, when students were off, and the shows did not collide with course lectures. In this way more spectators could watch the show. Still more important, winter time assured the best conditions for storing the corpse, submitted to autopsy for a few or a dozen or so days.
The anatomical spectacle consisted of multiple sessions, morning and afternoon ones. They combined lectures and shows during which consecutive internal organs were shown and discussed. The order of subjects was determined by different rate of disintegration of particular organs. As Wojciech Nowopolski states in the first Polish Anatomy Handbook from 1551: 'In our times in Italy, first osteotomy is executed. This is the autopsy of bones on the skeleton, or dried corpse, that is sterilized and dried bone set. Then muscles, veins, arteries and nerves and similar organs from abdomen, holding organs of nutrition. Then there is autopsy of chest, holding the organs of vital power, and then of the head, holding the source of spiritual power, and in the end there are legs.'
In the second decade of XVII century women were not allowed in autopsies in Padua. But when some years later, an anatomical theatre was built on Bologna, there were discreetly covered sections for women. Public autopsy became a social event, fashionable places visited not just out of curiosity, but as must-be social venues.
Not surprisingly, public autopsies in Padua, also attracted students from Poland. The preceptor of Andrzej and Wojciech Radolinski - Kryvin Castellans, noted the fact of attending anatomical shows in Padua. He was delighted both by the complexity of human body and the structure of the amphitheatre: 'Anatomicaelectiones were performed here for us and librumnaturae was explained and praesentes here everyday, with the audience watching the features of a human body created by nature and God. The anatomical theatrum was skilfully built in the shape of a circle'. Lyrical letters of Hieronim Morsztyn to the master of Poznań on male anatomy, and to Abraham Maciejowski on female anatomy written at the beginning of 1618, remain the most fascinating Polish literary record of Padewski's visit to Theatrum anatomicum.
