Medicine 18th Century

By the end of the 18th century the way in which people pursued anatomical knowledge had changed substantially. How and why did this happen?

Medicine is for ever changing and new discoveries being made even today, however by the 18th century the way in which anatomical knowledge was pursued changed massively.   At the centre of the argument as to why and how this happened is probably the changing place of anatomical knowledge in medical education. However, more detailed exploration in to body parts as well as the growth of new and old medical tools should not be overlooked.
Prior to the 18th century medical education was a grey area that had no real regulations with no necessary requirements needed to study medicine. One of the fundamental changes to licensed medicine during the 18th century was that of the structure and the way in which practitioners were trained. Originally one of the vital differences between practitioners and that of apothecaries and surgeons was the level of educational experience they received. Practitioners had a lengthy and varied educational path compared to that of the apothecaries and surgeons who had no or little education at all, they learned mainly on the job first as apprentices moving on to journeymen. Yet from 1700 there was a break down, in particular surgeons, of this traditional way of education and a more formal education was provided. As J. Barbot explains in his articles how the new structure of medical studies was conducted.
(Article I) “Those who are to study in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toulouse in order to take a degree will be required to register in their own hand….” (Article II) “During the first year, students shall take physiology and hygiene; they shall attend demonstrations of anatomy, chemistry and botany. They shall enrol with the following professors.”
The extract from J. Barbot shows that there is a clear structure to the medical education system, the growth of Medical Universities had...