Edward Huang, University of Birmingham

Anatomy is one of the fundamental aspect of medicine. This is also why there are so many different books out there! Being a student from Birmingham, anatomy is not known to be our strength hence we know which book not to use, and at the same time every good anatomy material is good news to us and Netter’s Atlas of Human Anatomy is definitely one of the favourite! Simply the fact the illustrations are done by Frank Netter has already earned a positive review, but the material it accompanies with this book is unbelievable. Available by activating the book on Student consult allows access to: image library, clinical library, MCQ, Clinical pearls, clinical cases, 3D tv, Dissection videos. The diagrams in the book are well drawn, clear and well labelled. Different views are also available, whether it’s basic radiograph or cross-sectional images. This will help students to learn the parts fairly easily. As the title suggests, it is only an atlas, so no clinical information or explanation are provided in the book. However, its only weakness (lack of clinical information and explanation) is also its strength, being purely an atlas, the simplicity allows student to appreciate the beauty of anatomy. It is difficult to judge the value in revision (especially as different institutions have different style and systems in teaching and assessing anatomy) but in my humble opinion, it is definitely helpful in the initial exploration, maintaining of interest and appreciation in anatomy.

Posted 26th Oct 2011

Amritha Ajith, University of Durham, Queens Campus, Stockton, Phase I Medicine

This is one of my favourite books. Although I use Gray's Anatomy to learn anatomy, it is not the best book for diagrams. That's where Netter's Atlas comes in really useful. The book is made up of mostly diagrams, but very detailed and heavily annotated diagrams with colour which makes it quite easy to learn anatomy There are also cross sectional CT style images which are useful for exams. If your medical school does an "anatomy spotter" examination, you will find this very useful. However, I still suggest you go to the dissecting room and spend some time studying the cadavers because the images in the book are not photographs. On the plus side, the diagrams do help associate the anatomy terms to the pro-sections/cadaver. The only thing I dislike about this book is the price tag. Many of my friends are put off by the price, but because this is quite a recognised book, you'll probably find this somewhere in your university library.

Posted 12th Oct 2011

Bernard Ho, St George's, University of London

One of the classic textbooks that every medical student should get when studying anatomy. Although many people say you can ‘just use an older version of the atlas’ as anatomy doesn’t change me – however true that statement maybe, the 5th edition of the atlas has many online features that are exclusive on the studentconsult website. From dissection videos to online ‘flash cards’ in the format of ‘drag and drop’ are amazing to help learn and revise anatomy in a very digital way. Anatomy doesn’t change much, but the way to learn anatomy can. I highly recommend getting this edition of the atlas purely for the amount of online material it provides.

Posted 16th Mar 2011

Joseph Fitchett, Imperial College, London

Netter's Atlas of Human Anatomy is brilliant. The images are simply stunning and it makes learning anatomy enjoyable! There is no text, just images of the human body. This makes anatomy easy to learn for both aspiring surgeons or medics to be. One downside might be the lack of text for clinical anatomy exams. However this is an Atlas and will certainly improve your learning. In my opinion, a must have on its own or to complement a revision-focussed textbook. When you see the book's content, I am sure you will also be amazed at the quality of the images!

Posted 12th Sep 2010

Alessandro Aldera, University of Cape Town

The Netter’s Atlas of Human Anatomy has been a favourite of medical students for the past 20 years. The 5th edition continues this tradition of excellence with revised labelling, re-ordering of plates and the addition of new images. Regional anatomy is presented from superficial to deep, in a manner that aids 3D understanding of anatomical structures. The biggest development in this new edition is the extensive online content which allows students to study and cross-reference paper-free. This is a very user-friendly book (other than for the annoying cover flap), one that can be used with equal ease when in the dissection hall and when revising anatomy for your surgical rotation.

Posted 31st Aug 2010