Jorge Duque-Parra; Jhonatan Duque-Colorado; Nicolás E. Ottone; Ernesto Ballesteros-Acuña; Rubén Daniel Algieri & Mariano del Sol

Andreas Vesalius (1514–1564), a central figure of the Anatomical Renaissance, challenged Galenic teachings with an empirical approach based on the direct dissection of the human body. His masterpiece, De Humani Corporis Fabrica (1543), revolutionized the study of anatomy and marked a milestone in the visual representation of the body. This article celebrates his legacy in the context of World Anatomy Day, which coincides with the XXI Congreso Panamericano de Anatomía (Bucaramanga, Colombia, 2025). This article highlights his historical impact and conducts an exhaustive analysis of some of his anatomical illustrations. The work examines his depictions of the trachea, rectus abdominis muscle, and sacrum, identifying differences with current knowledge, such as the variability in the number of tracheal cartilages, the atypical insertion of the rectus muscle, and the description of six sacral vertebrae. It is noteworthy that Vesalius consolidated the principles of direct observation and empirical verification, challenging the unquestionable authority of Galen and laying the foundations of modern anatomy.

KEYWORDS: History of anatomy; Trachea; Rectus abdominis muscle; Sacrum; Anatomical variation.

DUQUE-PARRA, J.; DUQUE-COLORADO, J.; OTTONE, N. E.; BALLESTEROS-ACUÑA, E.; ALGIERI, R. D. & DEL SOL, M. Andreas Vesalius, the prince of anatomy: An anatomical analysis of the trachea, rectus abdominis muscle, and sacrum in De Humani Corporis Fabrica. Int. J. Morphol., 43(4):1402-1408, 2025.