Grays Anatomy

[north]

Hi.

My father always promised me this when I got a firm place for medicine, now with my GEM place he owes me it but is it worth its £160 price tag ?

Or would I be better with a normal anatomy book ?

Clare :roll:

[Buzfvar]

You can read it for free on the internet.
Try http://www.bartleby.com/

[S Knights]

If I were you I would go for one of the cheaper, more modern anatomy texts (the one that your med schools anatomy department recommends is usually a good choice).

I own four different copies of Gray's (collect them ) you can get smaller copies for anything between £10-30, but to be quite honest it isn't any better than the more modern texts available.

[caster]

Originally Posted by S Knights

If I were you I would go for one of the cheaper, more modern anatomy texts

If you get the latest edition of Gray's, it is just as "modern" as any other anatomy text.... The £10-£30 ones are normally facsimile reprints of the original 19th century edition of Gray's Anatomy which was actually written by Gray. This isn't really useful for modern anatomy teaching as many muscles have been renamed and so forth, although it is interesting if you are interested in the history of anatomy.

However the name "Gray's Anatomy" is continued to be used for the modern textbook which is obviously not written by Gray himself (this is the one that costs £160) and is completely different from the original Gray's Anatomy. This follows the pattern of various other textbooks which keep their original author's name long after the original author has died and the book has been extensively rewritten by other editors (eg: Last's Anatomy, Davidson's Principles & Practice of Medicine, Wheater's Functional Histology, etc).

The latest edition of Gray's is an excellent text, and is definitely the most detailed anatomy text, and has the least mistakes in it. However, it is really in too much detail to be of necessity in a modern undergraduate medical anatomy course, and is really aimed at academic anatomists rather than undergraduate medics. It is the kind of thing you might look up in the library for a definitive answer, but not the kind of thing you would regularly revise from. It is a bit like the equivalent of a full Oxford English Dictionary - not the kind of thing most people own, not very handy for everyday use, but a useful resource to look up a very unusual things occasionally....

[M Clayton]

But it looks damned impressive on your bookshelf! 8)

I've got a copy of the twentieth edition (1918 I think...) and I have used it on occasion to give me a definitive answer to something that Moore glosses over.

Other than that, I use it as an alternative to a book end - it's lovely thickness and mass easily holds back my flimsy modern texts :P

[Daedalus]

Not sure if this is entirely relevent, and as I'm not a medical student (yet) but "Atlas of Human Anatomy" by Frank H. Netter seems to be a beautiful and detailed complementary work to e.g. Moore.

I'm not sure how good it is compared to Gray's but on first glance it seems excellent.

[caster]

Netter is indeed an excellent book, however, it is (as the title suggests) more of an atlas rather than a text. It is therefore not really comparable to Gray, as it is a different kind of book (an atlas has mainly pictures, with a much briefer text to explain what the pictures are, whereas a text is mainly detailed text, with just a few pictures to illustrate what is meant). I would recommend that most students should have both an atlas and a text for anatomy, as each offers something different, each being complementary to the other. If you are looking for an atlas, there are a whole load of different ones, and I'd recommend looking at a few to find the one which is best for you and your course.

If you are looking for a book that is more detailed and with less mistakes than Moore, but which is not quite as detailed (and expensive) as Gray's, I would highly recommend Last's Anatomy (edited by C. Sinnatamby). This offers something which should cover all your undergraduate needs, is very detailed and well written, and yet is also of the size and level of detail that you can actually use for everyday use. It is also very concisely written without all the waffle that you get in Moore.

[jjj]

8)
Hi,

I am a final year student who has a BRAND NEW copy of Gray's Anatomy 38th edition. It is an UNWANTED GIFT, this retails at £160. As i have lost the receipt I am unable to return but am willing to sell for £85 o.n.o as this book is BEING WASTED ON MY BOOKSHELF.

This is a genuine offer and this book is not dodgy.

If you are interested please email me at picpic@lycos.co.uk. No time wasters please.

Thanks

[Will Watson]

I always have a 38th Edition perched on my bookshelf... but that's because I get it out for free from the library for the duration of each semester. The two books I mainly use are Moore, and Last - the times I've needed to go beyond those are few and far between. I have read a little of Cunningham's Manual of anatomy, and I think that's really useful for pulling together topics across an area, as it tends to lump them together (i.e. the nerves of the upper limb, the arterial supply of the lower limb - as one rather than divided into arm and forearm or thigh and leg). Gray's goes above and beyond the level of knowledge that you will need, and is very heavy going to read. Infact, for this reason the people behind Gray's are releasing a much more easily accessable, slightly simplified and more stduent-orientated version soon, which I have had the opportunity to sample and looks very good.

Oh, and I do find atlases of anatomy very useful for revision, but each unto their own...

[jjj]

Book is still available for purchase