Gabriele Fallopius was one of the most noteworthy Italian anatomists of the sixteenth century. His family lived in poverty and, as a young man, he served the Catholic Church. Fallopius studied at Ferrara and then at Pisa, and then had the opportunity to study anatomy in Padua, which at that time was considered the best place for anatomical study. Other areas of Europe were not as advanced in the biological sciences. For example, scientists in France thought that the work of Galen could not be improved upon, and the teaching of the natural sciences were being suppressed in Germany by the ongoing religious struggles. Fallopius was a student of Andreas Vesalius who, through his method and technique, laid the foundation for modern anatomy and is considered to be one of the most important scientists in history. As Castiglione has pointed out, according to the eminent medical historian, C...