The Anatomists' Library: The Books that Unlocked the Secrets of the Human Body [Hardcover]

 The Anatomist's Libraryis a fascinating chronological collection of the best anatomical books from six centuries, charting the evolution of both medical knowledge and illustrated publishing.

There is arich history of medical publishingacross 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 thatpushed the boundaries of illustrated publishing. They commanded theexpert illustratorsandskilled engraversand hence didn’t come cheaply. They weretreasured by librariesand their intrinsic worth has meant that there is anincredible wealth of beautifully preserved historic examplesfrom the 15th century onwards
 
The enduring popularity ofGray’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 withAristotleandGalenwhose competing theories about the human body dominated early medicine. However they did not have the illustrative skills ofLeonardo da Vinciwho 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 aftl%