Lisa Quinn, University of Manchester

Gray’s Atlas is a collection of beautifully drawn anatomical illustrations; each clearly labelled allowing for easy identification of the various structures. While a large proportion of the Atlas is made up from drawings of gross anatomy dissection, these are regularly interrupted with the related radiological imaging and surface anatomy. This allows the student to understand the clinical significance of what they’re learning and to appreciate how the anatomical structures appear in the form they are most likely to encounter when practicing medicine. However, quite often it can be difficult to correlate anatomy detailed in drawings to that which you see in the dissection room and thus a photographic atlas has a distinct advantage if being used in this context. Overall, this book is best used in conjunction with an anatomy textbook but it does provide an excellent, pictorial anatomy guide for medical students learning anatomy for the first time whether they’re in the dissection room or as part of their private study.

Posted 1st Jul 2008