In this well-researched and engaging text, Bjørn Skaarup offers the first full-length study of Renaissance anatomy in early modern Spain. Skaarup explores the state of anatomical knowledge, the role of dissections, the institutionalisation of Vesalian practices and the role of anatomical publications in the major universities of the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon between 1550 and 1600. He also traces the influence of the new anatomy on developments in medical and surgical training in the universities and the practice of medicine in numerous hospitals linked to those institutions. Spanish medical history, and anatomy in particular, remains conspicuously absent in a growing body of scholarship on Renaissance anatomy across Europe in spite of a recent burst of English-language publications on the subject. Skaarup’s monograph brings to light Spanish developments in Renaissance anatomy and provides a foundation for comparative work. It also contributes in some rather unexpected ways to a growing conversation about Spanish-Italian medical connections during the era. Additionally, Skaarup thoughtfully probes the historiography of notable ‘giants’ in the field of early modern Spanish medicine, like Lopez Piñero, and suggests a number of alternative interpretations and factual corrections.
The rise and fall of anatomy studies in late sixteenth-century Spain is explored through a wide range of sources including university records, royal decrees, letters, art and literature, municipal documents, anatomy books, and other medical treatises. Skaarup points out that the institutionalisation of Vesalian anatomy at the universities of Castile and Aragon is clear evidence of the integration of a novel scientific paradigm; its subsequent decline is more difficult to explain. Yet, anatomical studies did decline, and, Skaarup argues, some of the most renowned anatomists of the era, like Matías García, contributed significantly to that decline.
The book is organised by region and university, and chronologically from the first to the last Spanish universities to establish anatomical studies. Valencia was the forerunner, introducing anatomical studies at its university in the first decades of the sixteenth century. It served as the model for anatomical studies established in the second half of the century at the Universities of Barcelona and Zaragoza. Vesalian-trained Valencian anatomists (primarily Luis Collado and Pedro Jimeno) and their first generation of students then introduced the new anatomy to the Castilian Universities of Salamanca, Valladolid and Alcalá de Henares. Skaarup draws on a number of studies that chart the history of medical studies in these Aragonese and Castilian universities. One advantage of Skaarup’s comprehensive study is the successful integration of scholarship that typically focuses on either Aragon or Castile. He offers an examination of anatomical studies in both regions that allows him to identify patterns of similarity and difference.
The establishment of anatomical studies in the Castilian universities was the result of outside pressure from the crown and regional municipalities. This influence has been well documented in some recent English scholarship and his conclusion comes as little surprise. Similarly, the lack of royal control over the Aragonese universities created spaces for other institutions, such as municipalities and medical colleges, to influence the trajectory of anatomical studies. Explaining the rise of anatomical study is relatively straight forward; making sense of its decline proves much more challenging a task for Skaarup. The end of the story for each of these institutions is a decline in Vesalian anatomy and a resurgence of traditional, Galenic medicine. Skaarup carefully documents these moments of decline, yet often leaves the reader pondering exactly why the approach fell out of favour. He tentatively suggests there were a number of competing interests from physicians and surgeons, as well as outside forces, that probably served as the agents of change. One might consider if the early seventeenth-century professional battle between experiential and university-trained surgeons contributed to the decline of Vesalian anatomy.
While Skaarup does not offer a definitive explanation for the decline of Vesalian anatomy, his meticulous cross-examination of numerous medical treatises and anatomical textbooks reveals important connections between Vesalian epistemology and other fields of study. For example, Skaarup argues convincingly that Pedro Jimeno’s work on the muscular-skeletal system and his discovery of the third auricular bone, was the result of his ‘prioritising direct observation over written authority,’ (p. 44). A number of such cases emerge through Skaarup’s diligent research and close reading of numerous medical texts. Skaarup challenges the accepted interpretation of the relationship between the Spanish medical community and Vesalius as one born of hostility, jealousy and Spanish fear of innovation. First, Skaarup documents the pre-existing commitment to the new anatomy in Castile before Vesalius’s arrival. Then drawing from new evidence detailing the medical treatment of Don Carlos, Skaarup identifies a co-operative atmosphere between some of the Spanish physicians and Vesalius. Moreover, a number of Spanish physicians, surgeons and anatomists demonstrated in print their appreciation of Vesalius’s anatomy and his epistemological approach, and some even defended Vesalius’s conclusions against his detractors. Given such clear evidence of support for the new anatomy, its sudden decline is even more striking and perplexing.
The final chapters explore the spread of Vesalian anatomy beyond the universities to the renowned medical institution at the Monastery of Guadalupe and to Mexico. As in the universities, the influence of Vesalian anatomy on medical practice beyond the university was short-lived and fragmented. A final chapter explores the relationship between art and anatomy, with artists’ encounters with the new anatomy proving to be an important source of information about anatomical practices and dissections.
The book has much to offer and certainly makes important contributions to early modern Spanish medical history and the history of Renaissance anatomy. Skaarup’s impressive research skills are on full display and should be commended. A final point to ponder: in our rush to fill the gaps in our understanding of early modern Spanish medicine, have we forgotten to question our own ‘traditional authorities’? Skaarup’s careful historiographic work suggests to me that it is time to revisit the broader narrative of early modern Spanish medicine, to better integrate regional studies in the field, and to provide a Spanish story that is in conversation with the rest of early modern Europe. Anatomy and Anatomists in Early Modern Spain provides a welcome starting point for such endeavours.
