The first officially approved public human dissection in medieval Europe was conducted in January 1315 by Mondino de' Liuzzi (also known as de Luzzi or Mundinus), a physician and anatomy professor at the University of Bologna. After more than a thousand years, this event represented the revival of direct anatomical observation in medical education in Europe. This incident occurred after centuries in which European medical education mainly focused on ancient literature rather than hands-on body examination. [1]
Mondino de' Liuzzi
Mondino was born around 1270 into a Florentine family and studied at the University of Bologna. He trained under Taddeo Alderotti, a physician who emphasized systematic learning. under Taddeo Alderotti. Mondino finished his studies by 1290 and later became a professor of anatomy and surgery at Bologna. His position within the university enabled him to introduce new teaching methods at a time when the study of medicine in Europe was undergoing significant expansion. [2]
The 1315 Public Dissection
The dissection of 1315 is widely acknowledged as the first public, university-sanctioned human dissection in medieval Europe, performed on an executed female prisoner. The procedure took place with both civic and church sanction, with numerous students and doctors in attendance. The event served as both a demonstration and a scientific exercise. While a surgeon made the incision and another aid identified the organs, Mondino read from reputable sources. [3]
Teaching Methodology
Mondino developed a systematic way of teaching anatomy. Instead of approaching the dissection randomly, he followed a fixed order, beginning with the abdomen, then moving to the thorax, head, and finally the limbs. This order made it easier for students to understand the arrangement of organs inside the body. He encouraged learning by seeing and practicing, a principle known as videre ad sensum (understanding through direct sense perception). His method combined theoretical knowledge with practical demonstration, which marked a change in how medical students were trained.[3]
Anathomia (1316)
In addition to undertaking the first public dissection, De Luzzi is recognized for his meticulous anatomical documentation in the Anathomia, which became one of the most popular anatomy textbooks in Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries CE.
Anathomia corporis humani (often simply called Anathomia), regarded as the first true anatomical manual, quickly became the standard dissector’s guide across Europe and remained in use for about 250 years. [4]
Influence and Legacy
Anathomia influenced anatomical instruction in European medical schools for centuries.
It was explicitly incorporated into teaching statutes and appeared in as many as 39 printed editions, according to Britannica. Later, Jacopo Berengario da Carpi wrote a commentary on it, and its ideas were incorporated into other significant works like Fasciculus Medicinae. [4]
Conclusion
Mondino de’ Liuzzi’s public dissection in 1315 was a landmark in European medical history. It brought back the use of human dissection in medical education. For more than two centuries, his textbook Anathomia impacted education by offering the first structured manual on dissection. Though his work still carried Galenic errors, Mondino’s approach created a turning point: anatomy became a discipline grounded in direct observation of the human body. His work set the stage for the Renaissance anatomists who transformed medical knowledge in the centuries that followed.
References:
Brenna, C. T. A. (2022). Bygone theatres of events: A history of human anatomy and dissection. The Anatomical Record, 305(4), 788–802.
Siraisi, Nancy (1990). Medieval & early Renaissance medicine: an introduction to knowledge and practice. Chicago: University of Chicago.
Di Matteo, Berardo MD. Art in Science: Mondino de’ Liuzzi: The Restorer of Anatomy. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research 475(7):p 1791-1795, July 2017.
“Return of the Dissident,” Ancient Histories Exhibit, C++ Digital Library, accessed September 13, 2025, https://cppdigitallibrary.org/exhibits/show/histanat/ancient/returndiss.
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