Johann Bachoven von Echt (1515-1576) and his work on scurvy: An omen of Vesalius' death?

A discussion is given of the figure of Johann Bachoven von Echt and his family, and on his work on scurvy. The disease is evaluated as a possible cause of the death of Andreas Vesalius. Echt's relationship with Jan Wier and his connections with Vesalius and Metellus are illustrated.

Reiner Solenander (1524-1601): an important 16th century medical practitioner and his original report of Vesalius' death in 1564.

Reiner Solenander (1524-1601) was a physician born in the Duchy of Cleves, who got his education at the University of Leuven and at various universities in Italy and in France. Back at home he became the court physician of William V and later of his son John William. In this article his life and works are discussed.

Andreas Vesalius' corpses.

Judging from his writings, Andreas Vesalius must have had dozens of bodies at his disposal, thirteen of which were definitely from before 1543. They came from cemeteries, places of execution or hospitals. Not only did his students help him obtain the bodies, but also public and judicial authorities.

Andreas Vesalius--the life.

The details of Vesalius' life can be found in Charles O'Malley, Andreas Vesalius of Brussels, 1514-1564, (University of California Press, 1964) and in Stephen N Joffe, Andreas Vesalius: The Making, The Madman, and the Myth, (Persona Publishing, 2009). This session reviews the circumstances of his last voyage and his death and other aspects of his life.

[The Paraphrasis of Vesalius in the Context of Latin Translations of Rhazes].

In the 16th century, most students initiated their studies at the Faculty of Arts (or Liberal Arts), where the syllabus was not like one of today academic studies, rather, it was closer to a grammar school program of studies. This gave the students access to one of the three other Faculties: Theology, Law (civil and canonic) and Medicine. At Louvain University, the students could choose between four pedagogic programs, called 'Porc' [Porcus], 'Lily' [Lilium], 'Falcon' [Falco] and 'Castle' [Castrum].

The Last Months of Andreas Vesalius: a Coda.

Since the publication in this journal of our two articles on the end of Andreas Vesalius' life, some very old sources have recently become available that we were unable to consult at the time of writing and that now prompt us to add a coda. These sources give an even better picture of both the circumstances of the disaster that led to Vesalius' death and the correct site of his burial. Firstly, there is a text by Reinerus Solenander that casts a completely different light on the circumstances in which his ship was at sea and the way in which it reached land; in addition, there is a new early eye-witness report of his burial-place by Christoph Fürer von Haimendorf, dating from 6 August 1565.

Leuven: birthplace of modern skeletology, thanks to Andreas Vesalius, with the help of Gemma Frisius, his friend and fellow-physician.

The skeleton-making technique of Andreas Vesalius is described and is compared with that of others. An overview is added of the skeletons he constructed himself. The significance of his friend Gemma Frisius is discussed as well as the translations of the chapter of this technique in the De humani corporis fabrica.

Stolen and lost copies of Vesalius's Fabrica.

Thefts and losses of precious books are not rare. Here we report several incidents concerning vesalius's Fabrica: the fire of the University Library of Leuven in Belgium, the fate of the collection of the Leopoldina Library of Halle in Germany, the thefts from the Crerar Library in Chicago and in Christ Church College in Oxford, the disappearance of an exceptionally beautiful 'royal' copy from the Castle of Argenteuil (Belgium), and other Fabrica's missing at the Franeker Library in the Netherlands and at the Library of oradea in West Romania. Finally the means of protecting precious book collections are discussed in short as well as the importance of book identification.

The last months of Andreas Vesalius: Part II--From Jerusalem to Zakynthos (Zante).

Returning from his pilgrimage to the Holy Land Vesalius encountered serious trouble, as a consequence of which he died on the Greek island Zakynthos. Following a discussion of the circumstances of his death and what is known about his grave, we examine also Vesalius's intentions for the period after his journey.

The last months of Andreas Vesalius.

A good deal has already been written about the last months of Andreas Vesalius' life. Most of it has been fairly speculative, because the necessary primary sources have been lacking. Much of what was supposedly known for sure seemed bizarre, and various writers even frankly characterised their own accounts as 'legend'.

The statues of Andreas Vesalius: 'a capite ad calcem'.

The number of statues of Vesalius, fully depicting the father of anatomy, is very limited world-wide. What follows is a summary and description of the statues in Brussels,Vienna, Leuven (Louvain), and Chicago. The three-dimensional representation of Vesalius's first 'muscle man' in Terneuzen is also included.

An unknown treasure in Brugge (Bruges): the oldest portrait of Andreas Vesallius on a stained glass window.

Four iconographic pictures of Andreas Vesalius on glass painted windows, in Rochester, Minnesota, USA; Leuven (Louvain, Belgium); Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; and Innsbruck (Austria), were made in the period between 1943 and 1956. Recently, we have found in Brugge (Bruges) a much older portrait of Vesalius, in the form of a medallion on glass. It was painted between 1860 and 1870 by Samuel Coucke who had been commissioned by Dr.

Ghysbrecht Colen, alias Gisbertus Carbo, Andréas Vesalius's friend from Leuven (Louvain).

The only information that had been known about Gisbertus Carbo came from Vesalius, his friend. We know that he was a physician in Leuven and Vesalius gave him his first self constructed human skeleton. Our goal was to find as much additional material about him as we could.

Gregorius-Josephus Jacquelart, born in 1759, the first andrologist at the University of Leuven.

At the time of his death in 1776, most medical doctors in Paris challenged the views of Théophile de Bordeu on the "hormonal" action of internal secretions. At the University of Leuven, however, his concepts on the hormonal activity of semen had been positively approached in 1780 on the occasion of a public debate (disputatio), conducted by the medical student, Gregorius-Josephus Jacquelart. Therefore, we consider G.

Sperm morphology assessment: diagnostic potential and comparative analysis of strict or WHO criteria in a fertile and a subfertile population.

This prospective study compared the diagnostic and predictive potential of sperm morphology assessments in a fertile vs. a subfertile population, evaluated in three different laboratories. The fertile population included 144 men who had recently fertilized their partners.

Intrauterine insemination after ovarian stimulation with clomiphene citrate: predictive potential of inseminating motile count and sperm morphology.

This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of the inseminating motile count (IMC) and sperm morphology (using strict criteria) on success rates after homologous intrauterine insemination (IUI) combined with clomiphene citrate (CC) stimulation. A total of 373 couples underwent 792 IUI cycles in a predominantly (87.4%) male subfertility group.

Treatment of male infertility due to sperm surface antibodies: IUI or IVF?

This prospectively designed study was aimed at comparing the results of two different treatment protocols in 29 infertile couples with proven male immunological infertility, i.e. a positive (>50%) mixed antiglobulin reaction (MAR) test (IgG and/or IgA).

Semen parameters in a fertile versus subfertile population: a need for change in the interpretation of semen testing.

This prospectively designed study was conducted to compare a fertile and a subfertile population so as to define normal values for different semen parameters. Semen analyses were performed according to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, except for sperm morphology (strict criteria). In the fertile population (n = 144), all patients had recently achieved pregnancy, within 12 months of unprotected coitus.

Chronobiological fluctuations in semen parameters with a constant abstinence period.

This study examined the seasonal variation in three semen parameters (total sperm count, % grade a progressive motility and sperm morphology according to strict criteria) with an identical abstinence period of 24 h. A total of 340 spermiograms of 107 different men enrolled in an intrauterine insemination (IUI) program were examined. To reduce variation due to interindividual disparities in semen quality, differences of each test result from the mean value obtained for that individual were analyzed.

Sperm morphology assessment: historical review in relation to fertility.

Careful analysis of sperm morphology has always been an important part of a routine semen examination. However, the usefulness of sperm morphology assessment as a predictor of a man's fertilizing potential has often been challenged due to different classification systems, various slide preparation techniques and inconsistency of analyses within and between laboratories. Automated sperm morphology analysis instruments may overcome the subjective nature of visual assessments of sperm morphology, but the technical problems are numerous and the validity of these instruments has still to be proven.

Exposure to ethylene glycol ethers and spermatogenic disorders in man: a case-control study.

A case-control study was conducted among first time patients at a clinic for reproductive disorders. The study group consisted of 1019 cases, defined as patients diagnosed infertile or subfertile on the basis of a spermiogram and 475 controls who were diagnosed as normally fertile by the same procedure. Possible exposure to ethylene glycol ethers was assessed by the presence of the urinary metabolites methoxyacetic acid (MAA) and ethoxyacetic acid (EAA) respectively for 2-methoxyethanol and 2-ethoxyethanol or their acetates.

Intracavernosal injection of prostaglandin E1 as an alternative for papaverine in penile angiography.

Arteriography of the penile vasculature was performed after intracavernous injection of prostaglandin E1 in five patients. Penile tumescence was obtained in three patients with a dose of 10 micrograms and in the other two patients with a dose of 20 micrograms. Mean duration of penile tumescence was 1 h 36 min.