Bartolomeo Eustachi: the Anatomist Rescued from the Shadows
In the mid-sixteenth century, the field of anatomy was dominated by Andreas Vesalius. His 1543 work, De Humani Corporis Fabrica, revolutionised the study of the human body with its bold woodcut illustrations. However, while Vesalius received widespread acclaim, a Roman anatomist named Bartolomeo Eustachi was developing a body of work that was also incredibly accurate and advanced. He made numerous contributions to the study of anatomy and was on the verge of publishing an illustrated book about his anatomical studies. This elusive manuscript was lost for over a hundred years. Today, we’re going to take a closer look at these lost illustrations. Let’s go!
Tab 19, Bartolomeo Eustachi, Tabulae anatomicae, 1783
Tab 19, Bartolomeo Eustachi, Tabulae anatomicae, 1783
Bartolomeo Eustachi’s Background and Discoveries
Eustachi was born in the early 1500s in San Severino, Italy. He was a prestigious, respected and learned scholar of significant breadth, well-versed in Hebrew, Arabic, and Greek languages. His linguistic range enabled him to consult original medical treatises, which were often inaccessible to his contemporaries. As a professor of anatomy at the Papal College in Rome, he secured permission to dissect cadavers from Santo Spirito Hospital, allowing him to observe the intricacies and details of the human body first-hand.
Tab 18, Bartolomeo Eustachi, Tabulae anatomicae, 1783
Eustachi’s methodology was remarkably modern, and he used a magnifying glass like an early microscope to examine structures too small to be seen with the naked eye. Between 1562 and 1563, Bartolomeo Eustachi produced a remarkable series of studies covering the kidneys, the auditory system, the teeth, and the circulatory system. Published in 1564 as Opuscula Anatomica, these works were grounded in his commitment to direct observation rather than the accepted theories of the time. His investigations into the heart led him to identify the Eustachian valve and its role in preventing blood reflux, while his study of the ear resulted in the first accurate descriptions of the Eustachian tube (named after him), the cochlea, and the internal muscles of the malleus and stapedius.
Eustachi was also a pioneer in dentistry, providing the first accurate anatomical study of teeth and the transition from primary to permanent dentition. Beyond healthy anatomy, he engaged in comparative analysis of diseased organs to understand how illness physically altered the body, a practice now known as pathological anatomy.
Tab 26, Bartolomeo Eustachi, Tabulae anatomicae, 1783
Eustachi’s Lost Engravings, and his Enduring Legacy
From a design and production perspective, Eustachi made a pivotal decision that set his work apart. While Vesalius relied on woodcuts, Eustachi’s observations were illustrated by copperplate engraving, which enabled greater detail and finer linework than woodcuts. In collaboration with artist Pier Matteo Pini, Eustachi produced 47 plates that emphasised scientific clarity. According to the National Library of Medicine, a unique aspect of Eustachi’s plates is the use of printed, numbered rulers along the edges, enabling readers to identify anatomical structures without relying on image notations.
Tab 22, Bartolomeo Eustachi, Tabulae anatomicae, 1783 Eustachi completed his greatest work, the Anatomical Engravings, in 1552. This was just nine years after Vesalius’s Fabrica. For reasons still debated by historians, Eustachi did not publish the full set of plates during his lifetime. After his death in 1574, the copper plates disappeared and were lost for over 150 years. Some records suggest Pini’s descendants kept them, and others say they were found in the Vatican Library. What we do know for sure is that in 1714, Pope Clement XI personally funded the publication of the plates. He entrusted the task to his personal physician, Giovanni Maria Lancisi. The volume was titled, ‘Anatomical Plates of Bartolomeo Eustachi, Finally Rescued from the Shadows’. When the work finally reached the public 162 years after its completion, the medical community found Eustachi’s observations still remarkably accurate. His careful dissections meant his views on the shape, size, and position of organs remained highly relevant and respected into the late 18th century.
Tab 30, Bartolomeo Eustachi, Tabulae anatomicae, 1783
Feeling Inspired?
Explore the fascinating world of human anatomy with Vault Editions image archives, featuring hundreds of beautifully illustrated, highly detailed anatomical illustrations, restored and curated by the Vault Editions team. Each image is available as a high resolution (300 DPI) download, enabling you to examine every magnificent detail. 
Images from 'Morbid Anatomy' an Image Archive
Images from 'Vintage Anatomy' an Image Archive
