[8] The events that led to the construction of the theatre could be dated back to the thirteenth century, when Pietro d'Abano performed the first autopsy recorded in Padua.

Albeit the surgery teacher was expected to act as incisor in the anatomical demonstrations; only in the late sixteenth century was he formally charged with the teaching of anatomy.

[11] In 1404, during his stay in Vienna, Galeazzo di Santa Sofia undertook the first solemn public dissection, a practice he had obviously first seen and carried out in Padua.

"[12]The turning point would have happened thanks to the contribution of Alessandro Benedetti, an Italian anatomist: in 1514, Anatomice sive historia corporis humani, the main of his works, was reprinted in Paris.

[13] In this stimulating atmosphere Andreas Vesalius, a Flemish anatomist, came to Padua (1537–1538) and wrote De humani corporis fabrica libri septem, in which he introduced the demonstrative method to medicine.

This implied an active involvement in studying anatomy, now based on the direct observation and verification of theories: henceforward, it became a habit for students not only to read books, but also to approach the subjects physically.

[14] Since the late 1530s, when Vesalius became chair of surgery, dissections were carried out on corpses of dead criminals, but also on monkeys and dogs, in a temporary wooden anatomical theatre.

In this way, the De humani corporis fabrica, already mentioned, became a real piece of art, in which text was enriched with detailed depictions of dissected bodies.

It is also important to point out that its construction is linked to Fabrici d'Acquapendente, an Italian physiologist, who held the chair of surgery and anatomy in the Padua Studium for fifty years.

Fabricius, in continuity with his predecessors, such as Benedetti and Vesalius, strongly supported the practical approach to anatomy as a means of effectiveness in the study of the subject.

In the following years, professor Francesco Cortese noted small changes, such as floor rise, whitening of the railings and installation of a new desk, provided with a simple raising mechanism.

[20] In 1845, fundamental details in need of repair remained: they essentially related to the ventilation, a problem clearly linked to the presence of corpses, the smell of which made the air unbreathable.