History of Autopsy
The Alexandrian physicians Herophilus and Erasistratus performed the first real dissections for the study of disease around 300 BCE. But, it was the Greek physician Galen of Pergamum in the late 2nd century CE who was the first to correlate the patient’s symptoms (complaints) and signs (what can be seen and felt) with what was discovered when examining the “affected part of the deceased.” This marked a significant advancement, paving the way for the autopsy and dismantling a longstanding obstacle to progress in medicine.
The autopsy reached a significant milestone in 1761 when Giovanni Morgagni, regarded as the pioneer of modern pathology, unveiled visible findings within the body without the aid of specialized instruments. In his extensive book ‘On the Seats and Causes of Diseases as Investigated by Anatomy’, he linked the symptoms and observations of 700 patients to the anatomical facts discovered while studying their bodies. Thus, in Morgagni’s work, the study of the patient supplanted the study of books and the comparison of commentaries.