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''Gray's Anatomy'' is a reference book of
human anatomy Human anatomy (gr. ἀνατομία, "dissection", from ἀνά, "up", and τέμνειν, "cut") is primarily the scientific study of the morphology of the human body. Anatomy is subdivided into gross anatomy and microscopic anatomy. Gross ...
written by
Henry Gray Henry Gray (1827 – 13 June 1861) was a British anatomist and surgery, surgeon most notable for publishing the book ''Gray's Anatomy''. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) at the age of 25. Biography Gray was born ...
, illustrated by
Henry Vandyke Carter Henry Vandyke Carter (born 22 May 1831 – 4 May 1897) was an English anatomist, surgeon, and anatomical artist most notable for his illustrations of the book ''Gray's Anatomy''. Childhood Henry Vandyke Carter was born on 22 May 1831 in Kingsto ...
and first published in London in 1858. It has had multiple revised editions, and the current edition, the 42nd (October 2020), remains a standard reference, often considered "the doctors'
bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
". Earlier editions were called ''Anatomy: Descriptive and Surgical'', ''Anatomy of the Human Body'' and ''Gray's Anatomy: Descriptive and Applied'', but the book's name is commonly shortened to, and later editions are titled, ''Gray's Anatomy''. The book is widely regarded as an extremely influential work on the subject.


Publication history


Origins

The
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...
anatomist
Henry Gray Henry Gray (1827 – 13 June 1861) was a British anatomist and surgery, surgeon most notable for publishing the book ''Gray's Anatomy''. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) at the age of 25. Biography Gray was born ...
was born in 1827. He studied the development of the
endocrine gland The endocrine system is a network of glands and organs located throughout the body. Along with the nervous system, it makes the neuroendocrine system, which controls and regulates many of the body's functions. Endocrine glands are ductless gland ...
s and
spleen The spleen (, from Ancient Greek '' σπλήν'', splḗn) is an organ (biology), organ found in almost all vertebrates. Similar in structure to a large lymph node, it acts primarily as a blood filter. The spleen plays important roles in reg ...
and in 1853 was appointed Lecturer on Anatomy at
St George's Hospital Medical School St George's, University of London (SGUL), legally the St George's Hospital Medical School, was a public medical school from 1733 to 2024 in South London, England. It merged with City, University of London to form City St George's, University of ...
in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. In 1855, he approached his colleague
Henry Vandyke Carter Henry Vandyke Carter (born 22 May 1831 – 4 May 1897) was an English anatomist, surgeon, and anatomical artist most notable for his illustrations of the book ''Gray's Anatomy''. Childhood Henry Vandyke Carter was born on 22 May 1831 in Kingsto ...
with his idea to produce an inexpensive and accessible anatomy textbook for medical students. Dissecting unclaimed bodies from workhouse and hospital mortuaries through the
Anatomy Act 1832 The Anatomy Act 1832 ( 2 & 3 Will. 4. c. 75), also known as the Warburton Anatomy Act 1832 is an act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that gave free licence to doctors, teachers of anatomy and bona fide medical students to dissect donated ...
, the two worked for 18 months on what would form the basis of the book. Their work was first published in 1858 by
John William Parker John William Parker (1791 – 1870) was an English publisher and printer. Life John Parker was born on 26 July 1791. His father was in the Royal Navy. At the age of fourteen he was apprenticed to William Clowes, and became the manager of the pr ...
in London. It was dedicated by Gray to
Sir Benjamin Collins Brodie, 1st Baronet Sir Benjamin Collins Brodie, 1st Baronet, (9 June 178321 October 1862) was an English physiologist and surgeon who pioneered research into bone and joint disease. Biography Brodie was born in Winterslow, Wiltshire. He received his early ed ...
. An imprint of this English first edition was published in the United States in 1859, with slight alterations.(Per
National Library of Medicine The United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), operated by the United States federal government, is the world's largest medical library. Located in Bethesda, Maryland, the NLM is an institute within the National Institutes of Health. I ...
holdings). This is not the 'American' edition. American rights had yet to be purchased. It is an American publication of the English edition.
Gray prepared a second, revised edition, which was published in the United Kingdom in 1860, also by J.W. Parker. However, Gray died the following year, at the age of 34, having contracted
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...
while treating his nephew (who survived). His death had come just three years after the initial publication of his ''Anatomy Descriptive and Surgical''. Even so, the work on his much-praised book was continued by others.
Longman Longman, also known as Pearson Longman, is a publisher, publishing company founded in 1724 in London, England, which is owned by Pearson PLC. Since 1968, Longman has been used primarily as an imprint by Pearson's Schools business. The Longman ...
's publication reportedly began in 1863, after their acquisition of the J.W. Parker publishing business. This coincided with the publication date of the third British edition of ''Gray's Anatomy.'' p. iv (Previous Editions and Editors – listings) Successive British editions of ''Gray's Anatomy'' continued to be published under the Longman, and more recently
Churchill Livingstone Churchill Livingstone is an academic publisher. It was formed in 1971 from the merger of Longman's medical list, E & S Livingstone (Edinburgh, Scotland) and J & A Churchill (London, England) and was owned by Pearson. Harcourt acquired Church ...
/
Elsevier Elsevier ( ) is a Dutch academic publishing company specializing in scientific, technical, and medical content. Its products include journals such as ''The Lancet'', ''Cell (journal), Cell'', the ScienceDirect collection of electronic journals, ...
imprints, reflecting further changes in ownership of the publishing companies over the years.


American editions

The full American rights were purchased by Blanchard and Lea, who published the first of twenty-fiveThis count excludes the previously mentioned 1859 US publication of the English first edition. distinct American editions of ''Gray's Anatomy'' in 1862, and whose company became
Lea & Febiger Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) is an American imprint of the American Dutch publishing conglomerate Wolters Kluwer. It was established by the acquisition of Williams & Wilkins and its merger with J.B. Lippincott Company in 1998. Under the L ...
in 1908. Lea & Febiger continued publishing the American editions until the company was sold in 1990. The first American publication was edited by Richard James Dunglison, whose father
Robley Dunglison Robley Dunglison (4 January 1798 – 1 April 1869) was an English-American physician, medical educator and author who served as the first full-time professor of medicine in the United States at the newly founded University of Virginia from 1824 ...
was physician to
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...
. Dunglison edited the next four editions. These were: the ''Second American Edition'' (February 1862); the ''New Third American from the Fifth English Edition'' (May 1870); the ''New American from the Eighth English Edition'' (July 1878); and the ''New American from the Tenth English Edition'' (August 1883). W. W. Keen edited the next two editions, namely: the ''New American from the Eleventh English Edition'' (September 1887); and the ''New American from the Thirteenth English Edition'' (September 1893). In September 1896, reference to the English edition was dropped and it was published as the ''Fourteenth Edition'', edited by Bern B. Gallaudet, F. J. Brockway, and J. P. McMurrich, who also edited the ''Fifteenth Edition'' (October 1901). There is also an edition dated 1896 which does still reference the English edition stating it is "A New Edition, Thoroughly Revised by American Authorities, from the thirteenth English Edition" and edited by T. Pickering Pick, F.R.C.S. and published by Lea Brothers & Co., Philadelphia and New York. The ''Sixteenth Edition'' (October 1905) was edited by J. C. DaCosta, and the ''Seventeenth'' (September 1908) by DaCosta and E. A. Spitzka. Spitzka edited the ''Eighteenth'' (Oct. 1910) and ''Nineteenth'' (July 1913) editions, and in October 1913, R. Howden edited the ''New American from the Eighteenth English Edition''. The "American" editions then continued with consecutive numbering from the Twentieth onwards, with W. H. Lewis editing the 20th (September. 1918), 21st (August 1924), 22nd (August 1930), 23rd (July 1936), and 24th (May 1942). Charles Mayo Goss edited the 25th (August 1948), 26th (July 1954), 27th (August 1959), 28th (August 1966), and 29th (January 1973). Carmine D. Clemente edited and extensively revised the 30th edition (October 1984). pp. vi–ix With the sale of Lea & Febiger in 1990, the 30th edition was the last American Edition.


Discrepancies in numbering of American and British editions

Sometimes separate editing efforts with mismatches between British and American edition numbering led to the existence, for many years, of two main "flavours" or "branches" of ''Gray's Anatomy'': the U.S. and the British one. This can easily cause misunderstandings and confusion, especially when quoting from or trying to purchase a certain edition. For example, a comparison of publishing histories shows that the American numbering kept roughly apace with the British up until the 16th editions in 1905, with the American editions either acknowledging the English edition, or simply matching the numbering in the 14th, 15th and 16th editions. Then the American numbering crept ahead, with the 17th American edition published in 1908, while the 17th British edition was published in 1909. This increased to a three-year gap for the 18th and 19th editions, leading to the 1913 publication of the ''New American from the Eighteenth English'', which brought the numbering back into line. Both 20th editions were then published in the same year (1918). Thereafter, it was the British numbering that pushed ahead, with the 21st British edition in 1920, and the 21st American edition in 1924. This discrepancy continued to increase, so that the 30th British edition was published in 1949, while the 30th and last American edition was published in 1984.Carmine D. Clemente (1985) p. vi (American Editions of ''Gray's Anatomy'' – listings)


Currently available editions

The current editions also contain
histology Histology, also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology that studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissue (biology), tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at large ...
,
embryology Embryology (from Ancient Greek, Greek ἔμβρυον, ''embryon'', "the unborn, embryo"; and -λογία, ''-logy, -logia'') is the branch of animal biology that studies the Prenatal development (biology), prenatal development of gametes (sex ...
, and
pathology Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...
subjects that complements
anatomical Anatomy () is the branch of morphology concerned with the study of the internal structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old scien ...
knowledge. The newest edition is the 42nd edition. The more popular 41st edition of ''Gray's Anatomy'' was published on 25 September 2015 by
Elsevier Elsevier ( ) is a Dutch academic publishing company specializing in scientific, technical, and medical content. Its products include journals such as ''The Lancet'', ''Cell (journal), Cell'', the ScienceDirect collection of electronic journals, ...
in both print and online versions, and is the first edition to have enhanced online content including anatomical videos and a bonus ''Gray's'' imaging library. The 41st edition also has 24 specially invited online commentaries on contemporary anatomical topics such as advances in
electron The electron (, or in nuclear reactions) is a subatomic particle with a negative one elementary charge, elementary electric charge. It is a fundamental particle that comprises the ordinary matter that makes up the universe, along with up qua ...
and
fluorescent microscopy A fluorescence microscope is an optical microscope that uses fluorescence instead of, or in addition to, scattering, reflection, and attenuation or absorption, to study the properties of organic or inorganic substances. A fluorescence microsc ...
; the neurovascular bundles of the
prostate The prostate is an male accessory gland, accessory gland of the male reproductive system and a muscle-driven mechanical switch between urination and ejaculation. It is found in all male mammals. It differs between species anatomically, chemica ...
;
stem cells In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can change into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type of cell ...
in
regenerative medicine Regenerative medicine deals with the "process of replacing, engineering or regenerating human or animal cells, tissues or organs to restore or establish normal function". This field holds the promise of engineering damaged tissues and organs by st ...
; the anatomy of facial aging; and technical aspects and applications of
diagnostic radiology Medical imaging is the technique and process of imaging the interior of a body for clinical analysis and medical intervention, as well as visual representation of the function of some organs or tissues (physiology). Medical imaging seeks to revea ...
. The senior editor of this book and accompanying website on ExpertConsult is Professor Susan Standring, who is
Emeritus Professor ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...
of Anatomy at
King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...
. The three most recent editions differ from all previous editions in an important aspect: they present anatomical structures by their regional anatomy (i.e., ordered according to what part of the body the structures are located in – e.g. the anatomy of the bones, blood vessels and nerves, etc. of the
upper extremity The upper Limb (anatomy), limbs or upper extremities are the forelimbs of an upright posture, upright-postured tetrapod vertebrate, extending from the scapulae and clavicles down to and including the digit (anatomy), digits, including all the musc ...
is described in one place). All editions of ''Gray's Anatomy'' previous to the 39th were organized by systemic anatomy (i.e., there were separate sections for the body's entire
skeletal system A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of most animals. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is a rigid outer shell that holds up an organism's shape; the endoskeleton, a rigid internal fra ...
, entire
circulatory system In vertebrates, the circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the body. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, that consists of the heart ...
and entire
nervous system In biology, the nervous system is the complex system, highly complex part of an animal that coordinates its behavior, actions and sense, sensory information by transmitting action potential, signals to and from different parts of its body. Th ...
, etc.). The editors of the 39th edition acknowledged the validity of both approaches but switched to regional anatomy by popular demand. Older, out-of-copyright editions of the book continue to be reprinted and sold, particularly on the internet. However it is not always clear which (British or American) edition these books are republications of. Many seem to be
reprint A reprint is a re-publication of material that has already been previously published. The term ''reprint'' is used with slightly different meanings in several fields. Academic publishing In academic publishing, offprints, sometimes also known ...
s of the 1901 (probably U.S.) edition. Additionally, there are several sites where various older versions can be read online. Henry Gray wrote ''Gray's Anatomy'' with a readership of
medical student A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...
s and
physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...
s in mind, especially
surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...
s. For many decades however, precisely because Gray's textbook became such a classic, successive editors made major efforts to preserve its position as possibly the most authoritative text on the subject in English. Toward this end, a long-term strategy appears to have been to make each edition come close to containing a ''fully comprehensive'' account of the anatomical medical understanding available at the time of publication. The explosion of medical knowledge in the 20th century led to a vast expansion of the book, which threatened to collapse under its own weight metaphorically and physically. From the 35th edition onward, increased efforts were made to reverse this trend and keep the book readable by students. Nevertheless, the 38th edition contained 2,092 pages in large format – the highest page count of any and an increase from the 35th edition, which had 1,471 pages.Description of 35th Edition (1973) at WorldCat
Retrieved 21 March 2012
The 41st edition has 1,584 pages. Newer editions of ''Gray's Anatomy'' – and even several recent older ones – are still considered to be the most comprehensive and detailed textbooks on the subject. Despite previous efforts to keep ''Gray's Anatomy'' readable by students, when the 39th edition was published, students were identified as a secondary market for the book, and companion publications such as '' Gray's Anatomy for Students'',Written by Richard L. Drake, Wayne Vogl and Adam W. M. Mitchell ''Gray's Atlas of Anatomy'' and ''Gray's Anatomy Review'' have also been published in recent years.


Cultural influence

* In
Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...
's ''
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (also simply known as ''Tom Sawyer'') is a novel by Mark Twain published on June 9, 1876, about a boy, Tom Sawyer, growing up along the Mississippi River. It is set in the 1830s-1840s in the town of St. Petersbu ...
'', the book that Tom catches
Becky Thatcher Mark Twain's series of books featuring the fictional characters Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn include: #'' The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876) #'' Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884) #'' Tom Sawyer Abroad'' (1894) #'' Tom Sawyer, Detect ...
reading, and from which she tears a page, is implied to be ''Gray's Anatomy''. * In
Bette Bao Lord Bette Bao Lord ( Chinese: 包柏漪, Pinyin: Bāo Bóyì; born November 3, 1938) is a Chinese-born American writer and civic activist for human rights and democracy. Early life Lord was born as Bette Bao in Shanghai, China. With her mother and ...
's 1984 book "
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson ''In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson'' is a Children's literature, children's novel by Bette Bao Lord and illustrator Marc Simont about a young girl named Shirley Temple Wong who leaves a secure life within her clan in China following ...
", Shirley Temple Wong and her new friend Emily secretly look at the "naked people" in ''Gray's Anatomy''. *In
Nina Bawden Nina Mary Bawden CBE, FRSL, JP (19 January 1925 – 22 August 2012) was an English novelist and children's writer. She was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1987 and the Lost Man Booker Prize in 2010. She was a recipient of the Golden PEN ...
's 1973 book,
Carrie's War ''Carrie's War'' is a 1973 English children's novel by Nina Bawden set during the Second World War. It follows two young London evacuees, Carrie and her younger brother Nick, into a Welsh village. It is often read in schools for its literary a ...
, Albert Sandwich reads up on skull anatomy at Druid's Bottom from "Gray's Anatomy". * Early in the 1970
Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
film ''Malathi'', medical students
Gemini Ganesan Ramasamy Ganesan (17 November 1920 – 22 March 2005), better known by his stage name Gemini Ganesan, was an Indian actor who worked mainly in Tamil cinema. He was referred as Kaadhal Mannan (King of Romance) for his romantic roles in films. G ...
and
B. Saroja Devi Bangalore Saroja Devi (born 7 January 1938) is an Indian actress who has acted in Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Hindi films. She acted in around 200 films over seven decades. She is known by the epithets "''Abhinaya Saraswathi''" ( Saraswathi of ...
try to obtain the 28th edition of ''Gray's Anatomy'' from an old book shop. *
Jean-Michel Basquiat Jean-Michel Basquiat (; December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988) was an American artist who rose to success during the 1980s as part of the neo-expressionism movement. Basquiat first achieved notoriety in the late 1970s as part of the graffiti ...
was inspired by the book's illustrations. He read it many times as a child, especially when recovering from his accident. * In the 1980 ''
Little House on the Prairie The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books comprise a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adulthood in the Midwestern United States, Americ ...
'' episode "Laura Ingalls Wilder Part 1", Mrs. Harriet Oleson (
Katherine MacGregor Katherine MacGregor (born Dorlee Deane McGregor; January 12, 1925 – November 13, 2018) was an American actress who portrayed Harriet Oleson in ''Little House on the Prairie''. She started her career on stage in New York City, in theatres off ...
) is seen reading ''Gray's Anatomy'' in a perturbed manner. * In the 1991 movie ''
The Addams Family The Addams Family is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 standalone single-panel comics, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' between 193 ...
'', Granny (
Judith Malina Judith Malina (June 4, 1926 – April 10, 2015) was a German-born American actress, director and writer. With her husband Julian Beck, Malina co-founded The Living Theatre, a radical political theatre troupe that rose to prominence in New York C ...
) reads ''Gray's Anatomy'' while Gomez (
Raul Julia Raúl Rafael Carlos Juliá y Arcelay (March 9, 1940 – October 24, 1994) was a Puerto Rican actor. He was known for his intense and varied roles on stage and screen. He started his career in the Public Theater before transitioning to film. He ...
) is playing with his train sets. * In
Diana Gabaldon Diana J. Gabaldon (; born January 11, 1952) is an American author and television writer. She is best known for the book series ''Outlander''. Her books merge multiple genres, featuring elements of historical fiction, romance, mystery, adventu ...
's 1994 novel ''
Voyager Voyager may refer to: Computing and communications * LG Voyager, a mobile phone model manufactured by LG Electronics * NCR Voyager, a computer platform produced by NCR Corporation * Voyager (computer worm), a computer worm affecting Oracle ...
'', Claire Fraser references a description of maxillary muscles in ''Gray's Anatomy.'' * The 1996
Steven Soderbergh Steven Andrew Soderbergh ( ; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and editor. A pioneer of modern Independent film, independent cinema, Soderbergh later drew acclaim for formally inventiv ...
film ''
Gray's Anatomy ''Gray's Anatomy'' is a reference book of human anatomy written by Henry Gray, illustrated by Henry Vandyke Carter and first published in London in 1858. It has had multiple revised editions, and the current edition, the 42nd (October 2020 ...
'', featuring monologuist
Spalding Gray Spalding Gray (June 5, 1941 – ) was an American actor, novelist, playwright, screenwriter and performance artist. He is best known for the autobiographical monologues that he wrote and performed for the theater in the 1980s and 1990s, as well ...
, also takes its name from the title of the book, as does ''Gray's Anatomy: Selected Writings'', a 2009 book by British political philosopher
John N. Gray John Nicholas Gray (born 17 April 1948) is an English political philosopher and author with interests in analytic philosophy, the history of ideas, and philosophical pessimism. He retired in 2008 as School Professor of European Thought at the L ...
. * In the 1998 '' Star Trek: Voyager'' episode "
Message in a Bottle A message in a bottle (abbrev. MIB) is a form of communication in which a message is sealed in a container (typically a bottle) and released into a conveyance medium (typically a body of water). Messages in bottles have been used to send distres ...
", the new Emergency Medical Hologram designed by Ensign Kim begins reciting the contents of ''Gray's Anatomy'' when activated, beginning with a description of the
cell Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life * Cellphone, a phone connected to a cellular network * Clandestine cell, a penetration-resistant form of a secret or outlawed organization * Electrochemical cell, a de ...
. * The American
medical drama A medical drama is a Television film, television movie or film in which events center upon a hospital, clinic, doctor's office, a paramedic, or any other medical topic or environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic progra ...
''
Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...
'' (2005–present) is a
play on words Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, phone ...
referring to both the textbook and the name of the series' lead character,
Meredith Grey Meredith Grey M.D., F.A.C.S., (born 1977 or 1978) is a fictional and titular character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was c ...
.Standring, Susan (November 2005)
"Gray's Anatomy, 39th Edition: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice"
''
American Journal of Neuroradiology The ''American Journal of Neuroradiology'' is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering neuroradiology. It was established in 1980 and is published by the American Society of Neuroradiology. The editor-in-chief is Jeffrey S. Ross (Mayo Clin ...
''. 26 (10) 2703-2704.
* The name of Jim Leonard Jr.'s 2006 play '' Anatomy of Gray'', which centers on a doctor visiting a small town in Indiana in 1880, takes its title as a play on ''Gray's Anatomy''. * In
Dan Brown Daniel Gerhard Brown (born June 22, 1964) is an American author best known for his Thriller (genre), thriller novels, including the Robert Langdon (book series), Robert Langdon novels ''Angels & Demons'' (2000), ''The Da Vinci Code'' (2003), '' ...
's 2013 novel '' Inferno'', Sienna Brooks, as a child, reads all 1,600 pages of ''Gray's Anatomy'' in ten days. * In the ABC television series '' The Good Doctor'' (2017–2024), the lead character, Dr. Shaun Murphy, an
autistic savant Savant syndrome ( , ) is a phenomenon where someone demonstrates exceptional aptitude in one domain, such as art or mathematics, despite significant social or intellectual impairment. Those with the condition generally have a neurodeve ...
, often visualizes illustrations from ''Gray's Anatomy'' as he mentally diagnoses a patient's condition. * In the series ''
Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...
'' (season 2, episode 2), Willow found the book in the locker of a student who is suspected of digging up a body in a graveyard. * In
Andrew Joseph White Andrew Joseph White is an American young adult fiction author. He is best known for ''New York Times'' bestselling dystopian young adult novel '' Hell Followed with Us'' (2022). Early life and education White began writing stories about queer p ...
's 2023 novel ''The Spirit Bares its Teeth'', Silas Bell recalls reading ''Gray's Anatomy'' after receiving it as a gift from his brother.


Explanatory notes


Citations


General and cited references

* Online- and PDF versions of the 1st edition at
Open Library Open Library is an online project intended to create "one web page for every book ever published". Created by Aaron Swartz, Brewster Kahle, Alexis Rossi, Anand Chitipothu, and Rebecca Hargrave Malamud, Open Library is a project of the Internet ...
/
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
. Several other editions are also available at this site. * *  a brief history of the British Edition of the book. * *


External links

* N.B.: This is the most recent American version that is in the public domain.
Online version of ''Gray's Anatomy''
– The complete 20th U.S. edition of Gray's ''Anatomy of the Human Body'', published in 1918.
''Anatomy of the Human Body, 20th US Edition (1918)''
at
LibriVox LibriVox is a group of worldwide volunteers who read and record public domain texts, creating free public domain audiobooks for download from their website and other digital library hosting sites on the internet. It was founded in 2005 by Hugh M ...
(public domain audiobooks)
First edition of ''Gray's Anatomy''
1858
direct PDF link

''Gray's Anatomy''
2014. Episode 5 of the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
TV series ''The Beauty of Anatomy''.
Video of @Google Talk by Bill Hayes on ''Gray's Anatomy''

Selected images from the 1st edition of ''Gray's Anatomy''
from The College of Physicians of Philadelphia Digital Library * {{Authority control 1858 non-fiction books 1858 in London Anatomy books History of anatomy Medical manuals Physical therapy books