Customer Reviews

Atlas of Human Anatomy, 4th Edition

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This is a rather long review of the 3rd Edition.

Netter's Atlas of Human Anatomy has been considered the standard against which other atlases are compared. It really needs no introduction, so i'll just speak of the pros and cons of this edition compared to other atlases as well as to previous editions.

---Pros compared to other Atlases---

1. Drawings are in vivid "unrealistic" colors. This is in contrast to Grant's atlas, which takes a more "life-like" color scheme. I call this a pro for Netter because it improves contrast and greatly helps in finding and remembering the location of structures. McMinn's is a photographic atlas of dissections, which is great for the lab, but does not nearly cover the content that Netter does. I also find photographs harder to study from.

2. This is first and foremost, an Atlas. There are about 600 pages crammed with drawings. There is virtually no text apart from the labels. The illustrations are generally better, clearer, larger, higher quality, and more plentiful (showing many sections of the same area) than other atlases.

3. Labels galore. Initially some pages may seem intimidating because of the enourmous amount of labelling, but once you get used to it- it's really much better than not enough labels (ie. Grant's). Example: Much easier to find "Pharyngeal Recess" in Netter than Grant's.

---Cons as compared to other Atlases---

1. Expensive. Well, you get what you pay for. It's also gotten more expensive lately for this 3rd edition, very unfortunate. ICON publishing may have raised the price after they took over from Novartis.

2. Sometimes I wish I didn't have to carry two anatomy books: one for text and one for pictures. Grant's is better in this regard as it has "just enough" text to explain the drawings. As I said above, Netter doesn't

---Compared to Previous Editions---

A couple things are new in this edition. And only a couple.

1. About 8 "surface anatomy" plates at the start of every section done by a different artist. Quite good.

2. New Xray, CT, MRI, etc. plates showing normal radiographic appearance. They're okay I guess, but really useless if you have a dedicated radiology text/atlas.

3. Some labels and drawings were corrected to reflect current knowledge. The index has been significantly improved and expanded.

4. New version 3.0 Interactive Atlas of Human Anatomy CDROM. Thank god. Finally they've left the medeival times and adopted 1024x768 res and higher quality pictures. The version 2.0 CD had an absurd and useless 640x480. This CDROM is now natively MAC/PC compatible, finally! (btw. Macs rock)

---Three Options---

It comes in 3 formats:
1. Soft-cover only. ISBN 1929007116 ($68.95)
2. Student Combo ISBN 1929007159 ($99.95): Soft-cover + _STUDENT_ edition of v3.0 Interactive Atlas of Human Anatomy. There is a mistake on Amazon.com in this listing: The student-combo is NOT hardcover. I confirmed this with ICON Publishing and have reported it to Amazon.
3. Hard-cover + v3.0 Interactive Atlas of Human Anatomy ISBN 1929007213 ($129.95)

I thought the Student CD-ROM would be a cut-down version of the full thing. It is NOT. The Student version is the full v3.0 PLUS 250 case-based USMLE style questions and Clinical Correlates. The CD-ROM is clearly improved over the previous versions, but owners of the text may not find any additional benefit as it is almost a straight rip from the text.

Please note. The hardcover and the CD-ROM are not available for individual purchase. They are only available in the 3 options listed above.

---Conclusion---

Owners of the 2nd edition won't find much new in this version. The hefty price is definately not worth an upgrade. However, for first time atlas buyers - this is clearly still the gold standard. I recommend buying the 99$ Student Combo version w/ v3.0 Student CD-Rom if you can afford it (since you can't buy the CD-ROM separately), otherwise go with the Atlas alone. The hard-cover is way too pricey for most students, and the exclusion of the USMLE questions further indicates that it's being marketed as a "Collectors Item" for graduates.

Cheers.

Netter's atlas has served me well over the last years. I've purchased it for my anatomy course and used it extensively both at home and at the dissections room. The vivid plates are very easy to read and understand at a glance, major stractures are located instantly.
During the clinical phase of my studies the Atlas served me especially at general surgery, angiosurgery and orthopedics in which fields it truly excels (fine paintings of the abdomen and its structures, muscles insertions and origins, limbs cutaways, excellent and vivid blood vessels drawings), it greatly aided me in studying the blood vessels of the bowels - esp. the blood supply of the foregut.
But Netter's plates, vivid as they are, lack detail and resolution. The atlas also have a poor head & neck section. For the best in accuracy, detail and head, neck and neuroanatomy, Sobotta is the atlas choice, although at a steeper price and with rather pale painted plates.

The bible of anatomy books. With clearest and most accessable illustrations that have been put to CD-Rom. I have a learning disability and the best learning style for me is visual. The CD-rom provided the fastest comprehension and retention I've ever had of this subject matter...

I am an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner working in an academic environment with Trauma surgeons and Surgical Critical Care surgeons. I am often asked to function as a First Assist in the OR. This text has greatly enhanced my understanding of anatomical structures, their location, their origins and terminations. The graphics are classic "Netter". I review the areas of our procedures and the faculty are impressed with my knowledge of anatomic locations. I would highly recommend this text for instructors as well. The CD with many PowerPoint compatible drawings are also a great resource as I teach nursing and pre-hospital (Paramedic) providers. Well worth the price.

If you're a 1st year Med Student you'd better get this atlas. It's got easy-to-follow illustrations and schematics that lead to better understanding of arterial and nerve pathways.

Great for incoming medical students. Everything you need to know about anatomy. All pictures and easy to follow with the bright contrasting colors.

From the day I bought this book as a first year medical student, 16 years ago, I have referred to this book more than any other text book I own. Netter's illustrations helped me get through medical school, internship, residency and is still my most valued book. No medical library can be complete unless this book is present. A MUST have.

From what I have been able to gather online from the publisher (Elsevier), the Professional Edition is the only one that is supposed to come with the CD, which is purported to contain "over 80 of the most important anatomy illustrations from the book to use in presentations and lectures."

View the differences between the editions:
Professional 4th Edition:
http://www.us.elsevierhealth.com/product.jsp?isbn=9781416036999
Soft Cover 4th Edition:
http://www.us.elsevierhealth.com/product.jsp?isbn=9781416033851

It seems to be $60 more (at least, depending on where you look) for just for the CD (and the Hardcover opposed to the Soft Cover). The Professional Edition is more like a Reference book for a library, but hey maybe you need that. The 4th Ed. Soft Cover still comes with the ability to log onto "www.netteranatomy.com" for "Ninety plates from the book as well as a powerful and varied bank of ancillary material, unique to this atlas, are available online" through that Netter Anatomy Website. Through I'm fairly certain that the Professional Edition also comes with that ability.

Also in response to the earlier post, the Interactive Atlas of Human Anatomy 3.0 CD only comes with the 3rd Edition, not the newest 4th Edition. Here is the link just to that 3rd Edition CD:
Interactive Atlas of Human Anatomy 3.0, 3rd Edition:
http://www.us.elsevierhealth.com/product.jsp?isbn=9781929007141

Hope this helps.

I have not come across a single medical student, or physician for that matter, who does not agree that the Atlas of Human Anatomy by Netter is by far the best human atlas available. I purchased the 2nd edition soft cover back in the mid 90's as a 1st year med student. I recently purchased this hard cover 4th edition because my practice gave me CME money to spend at will. The 4th edition has some new plates and accommodates artist impressions of transverse CT views using late Dr Netter's style.

Netter's is the definitive anatomy atlas, period.

Grant's, while in someways better, cannot hold a candle to Netter's art.
Rohen's is wonderful if you are studying for a gross anatomy practical exam because it presents structures exactly as you will have them presented. That said the limitations of dissection, preservation, tissue and gravity make it an inferior tool for visualizing the anatomy.
Acland's DVD atlas does a good job of presenting real structures (like Rohen) but in ideal ways (like Netter); however, the slow narration, questionable technical production quality, and downright creepy child in spandex are deal breakers.
The new Thieme atlas is quite good. It frankly negates Grant's value as it offers both richer text and labeling and superior art. The art is still not up to Netter's standards; however, having some accompanying text is quite valuable.
If you want to get Netter's with text then consider the flashcards which actually have surprisingly good text.

To return to the book under review: I have just compared all the other anatomy atlases I have to Netter's. Netter's is Netter's for a reason.