The anatomy theater : towards a performative history

Inside the anatomy theaters of the early modern period, professors pursued many pedagogical goals, introducing students to the subject of anatomy, investigating a certain region or function, and so forth. But what difference did it make if the anatomy lesson was conducted in a theater rather than the back room of a pharmacy, in a hospital, or in the private chambers of a professor? While there are many historical changes to document in the study of anatomy and in the form and content of the anatomy demonstration, this essay argues that the anatomy theater played a significant regulatory role in the educational and cultural history of anatomy. Focusing on the University of Padua's theater, this essay develops the theme of regulation—in statutes and decrees as well as descriptions of particular demonstrations—in order to reconstruct the performative history of the theater. [Publisher's text]