The successful anatomist Hieronymus Fabricius ab Aquapendente taught in a Theatrum anatomicum in Padua which he had had built at his own expense. He introduced the comparative method as a working method in anatomy and embryology. Fabricius was also a famous surgeon and invented new instruments as well as orthopaedic devices and artificial limbs. Most of his writings first appeared after the conclusion of his teaching activities in 1604 and some only after his death in 1619.
Fabricius’s »Opera Chirurgica« contain sophisticated treatises, descriptions of operations and – systematically arranged – advice on symptoms, methods and prognostication. This work is of fundamental importance for the history of orthopaedics.