This was the first behemoth every medical student learns or tries to learn! The enthusiasm of the average med student is soon broken when he tries to finish one chapter and then realises that he or she does not remember much or even understood it in the first place!
Though we all start with this, we finally stick to the Indian book! And finally to our own or class notes!
I am telling about the Gray’s anatomy textbook! Of course for most non medicos it may refer to the famous TV series (that was spelled GREY’s anatomy!) which was just watchable till they killed of Derek; it was just downhill from that with no recovery whatsoever! Luckily the more recent versions of the BOOK is much better that the show!
The version which finally reached our shores was this gigantic book with tiny fonts and amazing paper! Just to buy and hold it and walk around with it required strength, lots of money and a ton of confidence!
There are a couple of interesting stories even in this book! Not in the book per say but in the writing and making of the book! If it is stories you seek then you would not find any in the pages of the Gray’s anatomy!
Apart from the text and the amazing details in this big book, the best thing about it were the images and more importantly the hand drawn sketches!
Even when the theory or the text was something you could not remember or read in the first place, the sketches were a visual treat!
Now the most amazing history of these sketches were that not only were they of great detail, they were in fact originally drawn in reverse!
Imagine the artistry of the artist who could do that!
That was Henry Vandyke Carter who was the great who Sketched this masterpiece!
Coming to the vain and envious Gray! Yes! He was not so high and mighty!
When he saw the images, he understood that they would be remembered more and appreciated more! Moreover, images may not change much but later on after more research, the anatomy would have some modifications in that the text written by Gray would change but the images sketched by Carter would stand the test of time!
So he did what you would expect a jealous vain person to do! Sabotage!
The vain Gray made sure that Carter’s name was in smaller font and he did not receive any royalty or much payment for his works!
But the Karmic eyes sees all!
Many times all you need to do is wait for your enemy or envy to gets its due!
Gray passed away soon after the printing of his book and never got to know the legend it would become while Carter had an amazing teaching life going on to become the principal of Grant Medical College!
Real talent would shine like the diamond or Gold! While the covering would fade away without polish!
Just like Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan! Have sketched him a couple of times before but this one was simply effortless.
SHubh Ratri!
Oh yeah! If you wanted to sleep as a medical student then you MUST read the Grays Anatomy!
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