Henry Gray (1) (1827–1861)
Author of Gray's Anatomy
For other authors named Henry Gray, see the disambiguation page.
About the Author
Henry Gray was a British physician who wrote a general anatomy textbook at the age of 33; his work is still regarded as a standard after more than 100 years. Considering the fame of his modest textbook, relatively little is known about Gray. He was trained at St. George's Hospital, London, where he show more demonstrated an early interest in anatomical studies by writing a prize-winning essay comparing the structure of the human eye to the eyes of other vertebrates. Gray maintained his connection to St. George's and taught anatomy to medical students until his death from smallpox. In his short career, he wrote a book on the spleen, The Structure and Use of the Spleen (London, 1854) and published Anatomy, Descriptive and Surgical (1858), which assured him a place in medical history. Although there were other anatomy textbooks available at the time, Gray's approach was much clearer than all of the others. He was described by a contemporary as a "lucid teacher of anatomy" because of his organization of materials and the effective use of illustrations, drawn by Henry Vandyke Carter. Gray also hired a professional editor to work with his prose to make it less technical and more comprehensible to the student. "This accessibility has been one of the great factors in the Anatomy's success and has influenced other writers of anatomy textbooks" (Dictionary of Scientific Biography). (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Henry Gray. Wikimedia Commons.
Works by Henry Gray
Gray Anatomia, Tomo II 1 copy
Gray Anatomia, Tomo I 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1827
- Date of death
- 1861-06-13
- Burial location
- Highgate Cemetery, London, England
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- London, England
- Place of death
- London, England
- Cause of death
- confluent smallpox
- Places of residence
- London, England
- Education
- St George's Hospital, London
- Occupations
- anatomist
lecturer - Organizations
- St George's Hospital, London
- Awards and honors
- Fellow, Royal Society (1852)
Astley Cooper Prize (1853)
Triennial Prize of the Royal College of Surgeions 91848)
Members
Reviews
Human bodies vary more than I had imagined.
Page 1444: Psoras Minor is absent in about 40% of subjects. This was very meaningful to
me, not because of that specific muscle, but because it lets me know that not all human bodies have the same structure. (39th edition)
A friend's knee muscles, someone else has an extra vertebrae, I seem to be missing a foot muscle.
I read the 39th edition.
Page 1444: Psoras Minor is absent in about 40% of subjects. This was very meaningful to
me, not because of that specific muscle, but because it lets me know that not all human bodies have the same structure. (39th edition)
A friend's knee muscles, someone else has an extra vertebrae, I seem to be missing a foot muscle.
I read the 39th edition.
1 
bread2u | 11 other reviews | Jul 1, 2020 |
bread2u | 11 other reviews | Jul 1, 2020 | Lists
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 10
- Members
- 4,128
- Popularity
- #6,097
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 18
- ISBNs
- 104
- Languages
- 4
This is a landmark edition of one of the greatest texts of our time. Gray's Anatomy has been an international bestseller for 100 years; its appeal is not only to physicians and students, but to artists and the medically curious. As the new Introduction by Dr. Crocco states:
"Every living physician today has been exposed to Gray's Anatomy and nearly every one has used it. It was Gray's Anatomy that occupied most of the embryonic physician's waking hours, whether at home or at the side of his cadaver.
"There have been many imitations, but few real competitors. There have been dissection manuals and pictorial atlases brilliantly illustrated with exquistie potographs. There have been synopses of anatomy and there have been monographs on various regions of the body. However, there is only one gray's Anatomy.
"This stellar book represents the acme of anatomical description over the last century and wil probably still be the premier text in anatomy over the next one hundred years. This commemorative edition is a very fitting tribute to Dr. Henry Gray, Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, whose collassal work will be remembered by medical historians past and future and by twentieth-century physicians and surgeons as the anatomy text of our age."… (more)