The philosophical dispute in the 19th c. about the extent to which medicine was a mere practical skill, the artistry of skilful hands and a cool eye, or in contrast to what degree it was a science where the decisive factors were hard knowledge and the ability to reason logically, is still unresolved. And it cannot in fact be resolved.
While in 1543 Nicolaus Copernicus, in the twilight of his life, was having De revolutionibus published, a brilliant young man from Brussels, Andreas Vesalius (1514–64), decided to publish his De humani corporis fabrica libri septem.
In 1501 members of the Warmian chapter having taken notice of Copernicus keen interest in medicine, granted him a leave of absence to take up medical studies, justifying their decision with the hope that after completing his studies he would become medical advisor to our very reverend master (Bishop Lucas Watzenrode) and the canons from the chapter on his return.
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