The contributions of Europeans - and particularly European men - to the field of anatomy are well documented and often well recognized even in popular culture. Look no further than Henry Gray, the British anatomist author of "Gray's Anatomy" (a famous anatomy textbook and later the inspiration for the name of a popular television show).
However, a diverse range of cultures have contributed to our understanding of anatomy - many of those cultures making their advances well before the European scientists. For this Scientist Spotlight, we will take a historical view of the contributions of just a few non-European-men anatomists.
Please choose one of the following individuals to research:
- Imhotep - Egyptian man scientist
- Alessandra Giliani - Italian woman anatomist
- Ibn al-Nafis - Syrian man scientist
- Wang Qingren - Chinese man anatomist (some info on Qingren on p. 4-6 of this article
Perform some web research on the individual you chose to find out what they discovered about human anatomy and what techniques they used in their studies.
Following your research, write a 250 word or more reflection covering some or all of the following (you do not need to answer each question in turn...you can simply write in paragraph form on whichever topics most resonate with you)
- What were your scientists main contributions to the field of anatomy?
- What research techniques did your scientist use to study anatomy (e.g., dissection of humans, dissection of animals, prosection, etc.)
- What, if any, challenges did your scientist face in studying anatomy?
- What does this scientist tell you about the types of people that historically contributed to the field of anatomy?
Alessandra Giliani was a 14th-century Italian woman anatomist who is known for her contributions to the field of anatomy. She worked as a prosector at the Bolognese “studium” in the Bologna School of Anatomy .As a prosector, she was responsible for preparing corpses for anatomical dissection .She is also credited with developing a method of draining blood from a corpse and replacing it with a hardening colored dye .Her technique allowed for a better view of the body’s blood vessels and possibly contributed to our understanding of the coronary-pulmonary circulatory system. Her challenges were being a woman in a male-dominated field, she had faced significant challenges and discrimination. Despite facing significant challenges and discrimination as a woman in a male-dominated field, she was able to make important discoveries and advancements in the field of anatomy. Alessandra Giliani’s contributions to the field of anatomy demonstrate that people from all backgrounds and genders can make significant contributions to science and medicine.
