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The Development of Immunologic Competence pp 13–23Cite as

The Bursa of Fabricius

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Abstract

Student and successor of Andreas Vesalius (Fig. 3.1) and Gabriel Fallopius (Fig. 3.2), Girolamo Fabrici or Fabrizio (Fig. 3.3), was professor of Surgery at the University of Padova, Italy, from 1565 to 1613, and practiced and taught Anatomy (Smith et al. 2004). In 1594, he built the first permanent theatre ever designed for public anatomical dissection (Fig. 3.4). Fabricius is best known for his description of the bursa that bears his name. A manuscript entitled “De Formatione Ovi et Pulli”, found among his lecture notes was published in 1621 (Fig. 3.5). It contains the first description of the bursa (Adelman 1967) : “The third thing which should be noted in the podex is the double sac (bursa) which in its lower portion projects toward the pubic bone and appears visible to the observer as soon as the uterus already mentioned presents itself to view”.

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  1. Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neurosciences, and Sensory Organs, University of Bari Medical School, Bari, Italy

    Domenico Ribatti

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Ribatti, D. (2015). The Bursa of Fabricius. In: The Development of Immunologic Competence. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24663-5_3

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