Apostolici Regiminis was a papal bull declared by Pope Leo X in a doctrine concerning the nature of the human soul. An aspect of the Bull required all “natural philosophers,” scientific researchers of the time, to solely conduct work in support of church doctrine, in particular its stance on the origin of the soul.  Apostolici Regiminis refined the church’s view of the soul as “really, of itself, and essentially, the form of the body,” further explaining that each body contains a soul of its own. This restricted anatomical researchers, Leonardo da Vinci for example, to aim their dissections in search for the connection between the spiritual soul and physical body. Dissection for any other reason was blasphemy. For this reason, those curious to dissect cadavers often took residence in Rome to study under the Papacy and reduce potential accusations of sacrilege. In late 1513, Leonardo da Vinci left Milan for Rome, where we continued to study anatomy until Giovanni degli Specchi accused him of Necromancy, ending his experiments.

Sources:

Catholic Online. “Apostolici Regiminis”. Catholic Encyclopedia. Catholic Online, 2018. Web, 15 Feb. 2018. Link

Gilson, Hilary. “Leonardo da Vinci (1452 – 1519)”. The Embryo Project. Arizona State University, 26 Aug., 2008. Web. 15 Feb. 2018. Link

Image courtesy of Wikipedia, page Pope Leo X, titled Raphael's Portrait of Leo X with cardinals. Image is Public domain