Customer Reviews

Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice, Expert Consult - Online and Print, 40e

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Gray's Anatomy, first published in 1858, is thought by the average layman to be merely a historical classic, and is usually purchased as a paperback reprint of the 1905 version.

If you want the most up-to-date description of human anatomy, steer clear of the paperbacks and buy the 38th edition in hardback. It costs a lot more, but it is more than worth it. It contains an amazing amount of technical information that has only been discovered in the last ten or twenty years (such as the spiral architecture of the heart, MRI imagery, and details of microbiology and cellur arcitecture). It even contains a nice summary of the history of the universe. If I had the rest of my life (I'm a 35-year old engineer) to do nothing but read this book, I could not come close to absorbing all knowledge it contains.

I firmly believe that this is the most important book I own.

I recommend this book highly to anyone who wishes to learn more about the marvelous machine that is the human body.

Totally distinct from earlier editions is the radically different organization of this classical textbook: the human body is no longer described as containing different systems - the skeleton, the vascular system, the nervous system,...- but the body is now divided in regions. The reason for this radical change, chief editor Susan Standring (King's College, London) explains, is that in the real world, practising clinicians in their daily practice use a regional approach, rather than a systemic view. Therefore, it is understood that the new, 39th Edition of Gray's Anatomy is more adapted to the needs of surgeons, radiologists and other clinicians, than to medical students or scientists interested in the area of human anatomy. However, there is some consideration of the editors for a section `systemic overview'. So, the endocrine system, the blood (haematopoietic) and immune system are not entirely overlooked.

In particular, when regarding the master gland of the endocrine system, namely the pituitary, readers should know that this organ may be found in the `region' of the diencephalon (Section 2.1.). So, neuroanatomists may rejoice that they finally regained control over the capital region of the human body, and over all body functions regulated by this region. Unfortunately, unlike the 38th Edition, the editor of this section has decided to relapse into a terminology that was already obsolete 15 years ago. `Chromophobic' cells belong to the dark ages when new imaging techniques were still looming for their curious but ignorant discoverers. Bibliographic references are reduced to a baseline level. This would result in insufficient source material for research purposes, but, on the other hand, the references are concise enough for users that may feel comfortable with a general slowing down of scientific progress.

However, many, many advantages of the newly revised topics may be found in this 39th Edition. For those interested in the anatomy of the pelvic floor, the inner ear, or the organization of the peritoneum, Gray's Anatomy will meet their expectations. Also shortcuts to topics like assisted fertilization, preimplantation embryology are included, although it never has been easy being both at the cutting edge and also a textbook that bridges the generation gaps. Therefore, together with many, I will be looking forward to the 40th Edition.

Wilfried ALLAERTS
Biological Publishing A&O
The Netherlands

From its aesthetics to the depth of description of anatomy, this book is the cream of the crop. It is no wonder why this text has been the standard for the past one-hundred and fifty years since Gray and Carter penned and illustrated the original. This edition has the most updated and accurate depictions of present day knowledge on subjects from cytology to the most complex anatomical structures. As brilliant as it is beautiful.

This book is truly a masterpiece. The writing and layout is good. Descriptions and illustrations are clear and well done. I am not a medical professional and yet I find this book fascinating in its breadth and scope. To better comprehend some of the anatomical structures I first read relevant portions of this book and then go to Netter's Atlas Of Human Anatomy. One point of caution though - get the 38th British Edition. This is by far superior to the American Edition which costs half as much. The extra money spent will be well worth it. After all there is a lifetime of adventure embedded in this volume.

Instead of purchasing a book for embroyology, one for histology, one for anatomy, etc., if you are starting into medicine, save your pennies and just get a Gray's Anatomy. Everything that you will need to know in your career is within its pages. The cellular illustrations are perfect, and it is far easier to work with a book that is unified, so that when an anatomical feature is described, the reference is given to the page in the embroyology describing where it originated, and to a specific histological feature. The book is written by a team of experts and edited precisely, so the knowledge is cutting edge in every discipline, and holds far fewer errors than other textbooks. Buy this book and keep it on your shelf throughout school and then move it to your doctor's office.

The 'British Gray's,' as it is referred to in the profession, is the ultimate reference for all matters anatomical. This particular edition, the 40th, is unusual because of the use of modern terminology. This terminology was first used in the previous edition and some errors have been corrected here, making it even more authoritative. I do not think that anybody should buy this book for their home, it's a reference book, every public library should have it in the reference section. If you have ANY question about human anatomy the answer will be here, but written in a peculiar British higher-ed language. It is precise and accurate but requires that the reader be willing and capable of putting forth a relatively large amount of effort.

This book is a masterpiece. Gray's has a legacy of being an authority on gross anatomy but now it offers more. Not only does it have leading and valid information about the human body, this book covers gross anatomy, histology and even molecular aspects of the human body.

I dont know if any other text comes close to the depth and density of information that this contains. I personally own the CD version and I find it to be extremely user friendly. It would be a must for anyone entering medicine or allied health studies.
It is a really good reference material and thats how it should be addressed, as a reference material. It often fills in the gaps where you need it the most. I have found that in my first two years in premed it was instrumental.

Instead of purchasing a book for embroyology, one for histology, one for anatomy, etc., if you are starting into medicine, save your pennies and just get a Gray's Anatomy. Everything that you will need to know in your career is within its pages. The cellular illustrations are perfect, and it is far easier to work with a book that is unified, so that when an anatomical feature is described, the reference is given to the page in the embroyology describing where it originated, and to a specific histological feature. The book is written by a team of experts and edited precisely, so the knowledge is cutting edge in every discipline, and holds far fewer errors than other textbooks. Buy this book and keep it on your shelf throughout school and then move it to your doctor's office.

This version of Gray's (British, 38th edition) is the most expensive and comprehensive one available, and is well-worth the price. I use it as the proverbial 'ultimate reference', along with Netter's Atlas of Human Anatomy.

You won't go wrong with this tome. I suggest the Amazon 1st or 2nd-day shipping option, in order to receive the book in nice condition.

this book has everything you need not only for anatomy, also for embryology and histology, i think it's one of the greatest books ever written for a medical subject, in med school i have used the Moore's clinically oriented anatomy and the four books of Rouviere's Anatomy and i prefered Gray's Anatomy