MEDICAL BOOKS
COVER DESIGN
Anatomy and Physiology
“I profess to learn and to teach anatomy not from books but from dissections,
not from the tenets of Philosophers but from the fabric of Nature.”
William Harvey
 Gray's AnatomyTimeless classic with a simple cover design consisting of drawings from the book. |  Gray's Anatomy (Barnes & Noble)Grandfather of all anatomy books. This is unabridged facsimile of the 1901 edition - 1,257 pages and 827 illustrations. "A high quality, luxury, leather bound reprint of the very first edition of this classic published in 1858." Barnes & Noble Collectible Edition. |  Gray's Anatomy (Barnes & Noble)Luxurious leather bound reprint of the very first edition by Barnes & Noble (Collectible Edition). |
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 Human Aanatomy by B.A.Rifkin et al.Human Anatomy: Depicting the Body from the Renaissance to Today by B.A Rifkin et al. Publisher: Thames and Hudson (14/2/2011). "Lavishly illustrated book chronicles the remarkable history of anatomical illustration." The cover designer used one of Vesalius' anatomical drawings. |  Human Anatomy by Bourgery"We owe a great debt to Jean Baptiste Marc Bourgery (1797-1849) and Nicolas Henri Jacob (1782-1871) for their Atlas of Anatomy, which was not only a massive event in medical history, but also remains one of the most comprehensive and beautifully illustrated anatomical treatises ever published in any language..." (blurb) Spectacular and unsurpassed. |  Anatomy Vivas by N.A.Aresti et al.Cambridge University Press (11/10/2012). The cover represents modern high definition 3D medical imaging - incredible realism and clarity. |
 Human Neurophysiology by B.KolbFundamentals of Human Neurophysiology by Bryan Kolb, Ian Q. Whishaw. Publisher: W.H.Freeman (28/4/2003). Unusually interesting cover design for a clinical book. The image is a Japanese Kabuki mask on the black background. Perhaps it is a reflection of the fact that neurophysiology is still struggling to comprehend the entire mechanism of brain function. |  Physiology at a Glance by J.WardPublisher: Wiley-Blackwell (12/4/2013). Medical students today benefit from fantastic illustrations and 3D online content. The cover is a typical modern computer-generated 3D image. |  The Concise Human BodyPublisher: Dorling Kindersley (1/6/2009). Aimed at general public, rather than medical professionals, this is a typical DK publication with modern, computer-generated anatomical images. The back cover has the view of the body from the back. |
 The Brain BookPublisher: Dorling Kindersley (1/9/2009). Similar design to the Concise Human Body. The back cover shows the view of the brain from the back. |
Beautiful, crisp and incredibly realistic 3D images are quite common among modern scientific covers. The choice of images reflects the content of each book. There is no obvious effort to impress and sell. The covers aim to look aesthetically pleasing but without unnecessary decor, representing the quality of content, which should appeal to the scientific community.
Timeline: Technologies of Anatomical Representation
From Exhibition Historical Anatomies at US National Library of Medicine:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/dreamanatomy/da_real_reality.html
1300s Woodcut printing brought from China to Europe, used to print textiles
1400s Paper becomes available in Western Europe
1423 Earliest known European woodcut print on paper
1452 Copperplate engraving invented
1450s Moveable type invented; Gutenberg Bible printed (1455)
1491 First illustrated printed medical book published in Venice, Johannes de Ketham,
Fasciculus Medicinae
1543 First profusely illustrated anatomy, Vesalius, De Humani Corporis Fabrica
1620s First multi-colour printed illustrations
1630s Etching invented
1642 Mezzotint invented by Ludwig von Siegen, a German army colonel
1740s Mezzotint colour printing method perfected
1780s Thomas Bewick develops modern technique of wood engraving
1798 Lithography invented in Solnhofen, Germany by Alois Senefelder
1837 Daguerre invents first practical photographic method
1895 Roentgen demonstrates x-ray imaging
Timeline: History of Anatomy
From the Exhibition Historical Anatomies at US National Library of Medicine:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/dreamanatomy/da_timeline_anatomy.html
275 BCE Herophilus teaches anatomy, Alexandria, Egypt; performs dissections of human bodies.
ca. 150 Galen dissects apes, monkeys, cows, dogs; writes treatises on human anatomy.
ca. 600-1100 Knowledge of Greek anatomical treatises lost to Western Europeans, but retained
in Byzantium and the Islamic world. Islamic scholars translate Greek anatomical treatises
1100s-1500s Galen’s anatomical treatises translated from Arabic into Latin, later from the Greek originals
1235 First European medical school founded at Salerno, Italy; human bodies are publicly dissected.
1316 Mondino de’Liuzzi stages public dissections, Bologna, Italy; writes Anatomia.
1450s Moveable type invented; Gutenberg Bible printed (1455). Copperplate engraving invented.
1490 Anatomical theater opens in Padua, Italy.
1491 First illustrated printed medical book published in Venice, Johannes de Ketham,
Fasciculus Medicinae.
1500-1540 Earliest printed illustrated anatomies.
1510 Leonardo da Vinci dissects human beings, makes anatomical drawings.
1543 First profusely illustrated printed anatomy, Vesalius’ De Humani Corporis Fabrica.
1670s-1690s Schwammerdam, Ruysch and others start making anatomical specimens and museums.
Bidloo starts movement toward greater anatomical realism.First art academies founded;
anatomy is a key part of the curriculum.
1600-1900 Anatomy plays an important role in medical education and research.