Night Waves - 02/10/2008

For the series of Night Waves programmes championing cultural landmarks, Isabel Hilton and guests explore the significance of the iconic medical text, Gray's Anatomy, 150 years since its first publication. The book was the brainchild of Henry Gray, whose interest in the subject was kindled by his study of the endocrine glands and the spleen. This work led to his appointment in 1853 as a lecturer at St George's Hospital Medical School in London. Two years later he suggested to a colleague that they produce an anatomy text book for their students and in 1858 the first edition appeared. There have been 39 editions since and the book is a feature of any aspiring doctor's training. Isabel is joined by neurosurgeon Henry Marsh and historian Ruth Richardson to discuss the book's creation, its charismatic author who died at the age of 34, three years after its publication, plus the impact of the anatomy on medical history and generations of doctors in the English-speaking world.