Did they teach anatomy in the 1500s?

Answer 1

Yes they did, although it was done a lot differently than it was today. The term "anatome" was coined by Aristotle (although Hippocrates is considered the founder of the science of anatomy) from the Greek words ana (meaning "up") and tome(meaning "cut"), therefore "to cut up" or "cut repeatedly".

In the 16th century, live dissections were performed in vast halls with tiered levels where the students (or whomever was present) would have to rotate to get a various views of the body. Due to the lack of refrigeration, these dissections were often held in the dead of winter and had to be performed as quickly as possible to finish before the body started to decompose.

(Look up images of Leiden University or Padua University dissection halls to get an idea of how these rooms looked)

Answer 2

Yes, anatomy was taught in the 1500s, but it was often limited to studying human cadavers through dissection. It was a time of significant progress in the field of anatomy, with notable figures like Andreas Vesalius making important contributions to our understanding of the human body. However, the practice of human dissection was often controversial and faced opposition from religious and societal authorities.