The teaching of anatomy in Montpellier University during VIII centuries (1220–2020)

Abstract

Since 1220 in Montpellier the human cadaver dissection had been used for the teaching of anatomy. In the first time the anatomy was based on animal knowledge. Vesalius student in Montpellier then in Italy, written the first book on human anatomy. Among teachers some of them made discoveries such as Pecquet on cisterna chyli, Vieussens on brain and hearth. Wax anatomy was used for teaching and Laumonier and B. Delmas presented some very nice pieces. Progressively a lot of anatomical preparations were exposed in a conservatory with 2330 human cadavers’ dissections obtained during a lot of examinations. Anatomy and pathology were developed by Delpech about growing of bones with laws. In 1953 two anatomist surgeons, Rapp and Couinaud, described the segmentation of the liver with using techniques of corrosion. In the conservatory 250 corrosions of the livers are exposed, this is certainly the most numerous in the world and it represents a huge basis for surgery and liver transplantation. Since 1900 the teaching of anatomy continued with blackboard lectures and Human cadavers dissections. Therefore, a new approach of anatomy with computer is going to be used in the future.