Atlas of Human Anatomy, Third Edition (Paperback)

~ Frank H. Netter MD (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This is the first one-volume anatomy atlas by Netter, who has illustrated eight volumes on various parts of the body for the medical and health professions. These volumes are considered classics and are owned by all medical libraries. This new one-volume atlas is a beautifully illustrated book which would be of value to public libraries because of the coverage. The 36-page index makes for easy access to the illustrations. Reference librarians will cheer to have this handy one-volume book. Recommended highly for public libraries, the book clearly outlines the human body and does a better job than any existing atlas.
- Barbara Kormelink, Bay Medical Ctr. Lib., Bay City, Mich.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"The care with which this volume was assembled so elegantly...is itself a stroke of genius." -Review of previous edition in Surgical Neurology --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 612 pages
• Publisher: Saunders; 3 edition (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1929007116
• ISBN-13: 978-1929007110
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (145 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #178,429 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

323 of 325 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Gold Standard., December 2, 2003

By	Sithu Win "Sithu Win, MD" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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. They're okay. Clearly can't replace a dedicated surface anatomy book.

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, or even if you use some websites.

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 medieval times and adopted 1024x768 res and higher quality pictures. 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 book may not find any additional benefit as it is almost a straight rip from the book.

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 later), 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.

111 of 113 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The finest medical anatomy atlas available., June 29, 2000

By	neurotome "neurotome" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Atlas of Human Anatomy (Hardcover)

Frank Netter's atlas compiles his paintings of every imaginable human body part, seen in various degrees of dissection, into one volume. Dr. Netter's talent for reproducing the facts of anatomy is exquisite and unquestionable. However, as one looks a little deeper, it becomes clear that Netter is in fact a guru of function as well. Nerves, outlined in an unearthly yellow, terminate on muscles they actually innervate. Tendinous insertions are always on the correct part of bony protuberances, and fiber direction is always carefully detailed. Any unusual functional variances, such as the dual sympathetic/parasympathetic function of Vidian's nerve, or such as the pulley effect on the trochlear nerve, are always painstakingly pointed out. Netter also excels in variation, presenting, for example, 11 normal variants of the cystic and hepatic ducts.

The alternatives are few and inadequate. Pernkopf is often cited as Netter's chief rival; his experimentation on living persons incarcerated in Nazi concentration camps forbids me from perusing his text, on ethical grounds. Grant's atlas is laughably inadequate by comparison, both in number and quality of the plates. And Gray's, the old standby, simply cannot measure up; Netter's bold colors and functional depictions are clearly superior.

Rohen and Yokochi, a photographic atlas, offers the advantage of being photographs of superb dissections, and therefore more like what one encounters in the anatomy lab. Some find it useful as a supplement to Netter's atlas. I also used Moore's textbook of anatomy; the plates, from Grant's atlas, are not so good, but the text can be used to expand and illuminate on the relevant plates in Netter's, and the text is well written and clear. I found it indispensible to read a little bit about what I was looking at, the night before an anatomy lab.

I have also lent my Netter to several artists (sculptors and painters,) all of whom found it to be quite useful.

If you have any interest in human anatomy, then, you need a copy of Netter today!

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Atlas of Human Anatomy", March 23, 2000

By	Lee R. Miller - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Atlas of Human Anatomy (Hardcover)

I have been a forensic pathologist for more than twenty years and refer to texts and atlases of anatomy on an almost daily basis. This is, by far, the best atlas I have ever used. Dr. Netter's genius lies in his being able to render complex anatomy in lucid and easily grasped pictures that still look like the real thing. He makes it appear effortless and his real brilliance can only be grasped by comparing his atlas to other (and usually more expensive) works that just do not measure up. I wish I had this atlas in medical school, but am delighted in being able to refer to it now. It is one of those pearls that every first year medical student, nursing student and paramedic simply must have in their personal library. It will prove indispensable in every stage of their careers.