This talk traces the reception history of Andreas Vesalius’ De humani corporis fabrica, the first major printed illustrated atlas of anatomy. Based on the Vesalius Census, it examines how copies of the two first editions have circulated around the globe since their publication, and how readers and owners have annotated the book. As I argue, Vesalius’ Fabrica reveals how anatomy was used to understand gender relations in early modern Europe, and how physicians and urban elites used medicine to justify power relations in contemporary society.