The Anatomist's Library is a fascinating chronological collection of
the best anatomical books from six centuries, charting the evolution of
both medical knowledge and illustrated publishing.
There is a rich history of medical publishing across Europe with
outstanding publications from Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands,
Spain, UK, and also many from Persia and Japan.
Because of the high value of accurate medical textbooks, it was these
works that pushed the boundaries of illustrated publishing. They
commanded the expert illustrators and skilled engravers and
hence didn't come cheaply. They were treasured by libraries and
their intrinsic worth has meant that there is an incredible wealth of
beautifully preserved historic examples from the 15th century onwards
The enduring popularity of Gray's Anatomyhas shown that there is a
long-term interest in the subject beyond the necessity of medical
students to learn the modern equivalent - the 42nd edition (2020) - from
cover to cover. But Englishman Henry Gray was late in the field and
never saw the enduring success of his famous work. Having first
published the surgeon's reference book in 1858, he died in 1861 after
contracting smallpox from his nephew (who survived). He was just 34.
Gray was following on from a long tradition of anatomists starting with
Aristotle and Galen whose competing theories about the human
body dominated early medicine. However they did not have the
illustrative skills of Leonardo da Vinci who was trained in anatomy
by Andrea del Verrocchio. In 1489 Leonardo began a series of anatomical
drawings depicting the human form. His surviving 750 drawings (from two
decades) represent groundbreaking studies in anatomy. However none of
Leonardo's Notebooks were published during his lifetime, they only
appeared in print centuries after his death.
Brussels-born Andries van Wesel (Andreas Vesalius) professor at the
University of Padua is deemed to be the founder of modern anatomical
reference with his 1543 work De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem
("On the fabric of the human body in seven books"). An Italian
contemporary was Bartolomeo Eustachi who supported Galen's medical
theories. Among other discoveries he correctly identified the Eustachian
tube and the arrangement of bones in the inner ear. His Anatomical
Engravings were completed in 1552, nine years after Vesalius's great
work, but remained unpublished until 1714.
These are just two entries in a book brimming with an abundance of
important illustrated works - with some more primitive examples from
the 15th century, up to the 42nd edition of Gray's in the 21st.
