As ’n eietydse mediese speurder het die forensiese patoloog Ryan Blumenthal al derduisende outopsies uitgevoer wat tot die arrestasie van ’n groot aantal misdadigers gelei het. Dit is sy groot doel en strewe om oortreders aan die pen te help ry.

In Outopsietafel beskryf hy van die moeilike lesse wat hy as ’n jong patoloog moes leer en hy vertel van die ongewone en dikwels grusame sterfgevalle wat hy al teëgekom het. Hy het gedurende sy loopbaan byvoorbeeld al etlike hoëprofielsterftes hanteer, sterftes weens natuurrampe en ook mense wat deur weerlig of wilde diere gedood is.

Blumenthal bied ’n fassinerende blik op alles wat agter die skerms gebeur by die lykshuis. Al kan die dooies nie praat nie, het hulle nogtans baie om te sê – en Blumenthal is daar om te luister.

History and science collide in the fascinating history of anatomy, from artistic explorations by Leonardo da Vinci, and the pioneering, lavishly illustrated book by Andreas Vesalius, to the crimes of William Burke and William Hare in 19th-century Edinburgh. This history of how anatomy was studied focuses on Edinburgh and the West Port murders in 1828 and acknowledges the science's reliance on dead bodies taken without consent. Edinburgh was an important centre for medical teaching at this time but the sixteen murders exposed the darker side of the practice and study of medicine - the bodies were sold by Burke and Hare to the Edinburgh anatomist Dr Robert Knox. The book accompanies a major exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland 2 July-30 October 22 which charts five hundred years of medical exploration.

Renowned for its comprehensive coverage and engaging, storytelling approach, the bestselling Moore's Clinically Oriented Anatomy, 9th Edition, guides students from initial anatomy and foundational science courses through clinical training and practice. A popular resource for a variety of programs, this proven text serves as a complete reference, emphasizing anatomy that is important in physical diagnosis for primary care, interpretation of diagnostic imaging, and understanding the anatomical basis of emergency medicine and general surgery. The 9th Edition reflects the latest changes in the clinical application of anatomy as well as preparation for the USMLE while maintaining the highest standards for scientific and clinical accuracy. NEW! Sex and gender content clarifies important gender considerations and reflects an equitable focus on female as well as male anatomy. Updated medical imaging and integrated surface anatomy within each chapter clearly demonstrates the relationship between anatomy, physical examination, and diagnosis. Extensively revised Clinical Blue Boxes highlight the practical applications of anatomy, accompanied by helpful icons, illustrations, and images that distinguish the type of clinical information covered. Updated introduction establishes the foundational understanding of systemic information and basic concepts essential to success from the classroom to the dissection lab. Revised comprehensive surface anatomy photographs ensure accurate, effective physical examination diagnoses with integrated natural views of unobstructed surface anatomy and illustrations superimposing anatomical structures with landmarks for more accurate physical examination. Insightfully rendered, anatomically accurate illustrations, combined with many photographs and medical images, strengthen comprehension of anatomical concepts and retention of "mental images" of anatomical structures. Bottom Line boxes provide detailed summaries at a glance and underscore the "big-picture" perspective. Illustrated tables clarify complex information about muscles, veins, arteries, nerves, and other structures for easy study and review. Chapter outlines help students find key information quickly and efficiently.

 The Anatomist's Library is a fascinating chronological collection of the best anatomical books from six centuries, charting the evolution of both medical knowledge and illustrated publishing. There is a rich history of medical publishing across 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 that pushed the boundaries of illustrated publishing. They commanded the expert illustrators and skilled engravers and hence didn’t come cheaply. They were treasured by libraries and their intrinsic worth has meant that there is an incredible wealth of beautifully preserved historic examples from the 15th century onwards   The enduring popularity of Gray’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 with Aristotle and Galen whose competing theories about the human body dominated early medicine. However they did not have the illustrative skills of Leonardo da Vinci who 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 after his death.   Brussels-born Andries van Wesel (Andreas Vesalius) professor at the University of Padua is deemed to be the founder of modern anatomical reference with his 1543 work De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem ("On the fabric of the human body in seven books"). An Italian contemporary was Bartolomeo Eustachi who supported Galen’s medical theories. Among other discoveries he correctly identified the Eustachian tube and the arrangement of bones in the inner ear. His Anatomical Engravings were completed in 1552, nine years after Vesalius’s great work, but remained unpublished until 1714.   These are just two entries in a book brimming with an abundance of important illustrated works – with some more primitive examples from the 15th century, up to the 42nd edition of Gray’s in the 21st.  

Even today Universities adhere to a time-honoured hierarchy of professors, readers, lecturers, demonstrators, and technicians - a structure first established in the European anatomical 'theatres' of the 16th and 17th centuries. These were the players in the theatre of anatomy, but inevitably it was the cadaver that took centre stage. In Anatomy Lessons, Karen Ingham explores anatomy theatres and dissecting rooms in Edinburgh, Dublin, London, and Padua - and discovers spaces in which the notion of surface is probed and dissected in the search to create structure and meaning - to find what lies beneath. The body is a ghostly presence - yet in the theatre of anatomy even the lifeless stage may be imbued with a sense of drama.