Fludd was a member of St. John's College, Oxford, before studying medicine, chemistry, and the occult sciences in various European centres. After receiving his medical degree at Christ Church, Oxford, Fludd moved to London where he began a practice. Anatomiæ amphitheatrum contains a mystical cosmological description of the circulation of the blood, which, Fludd believed, carries the spirit. In three parts; part 1 deals with wheat and chemical experiments; part 2 with human anatomy; part 3 with 'mystical anatomy' i.e. the spiritual properties of the body. Parts 1 & 3 are illustrated by crude wood-cuts. Part 2 contains engraved plates, first used by Caspar Bauhin in his Theatrum anatomicum, printed by De Bry in 1605. Reused here by De Bry against Fludd's wishes. The engraved title page includes a dissection scene.
