This book is two stories told in parallel. The first is that of the author, who's fascination with anatomy took him on a journey of discovery of the human body, but also one of history. His interest in anatomy was coupled with a specific interest in Gray's Anatomy, possibly the most famous of medical texts. This led him to wonder about the history of Gray's Anatomy itself, and that of its author and illustrator, Henry Gray and Henry Vandyke Carter, respectively. The book switches back between Bill's story of the anatomy courses he takes as well as his research into the two Henrys' lives, and the story he uncovers behind it all, and recreates through the diary entries of Henry Carter.
A well-written and fascinating book, I really enjoyed the way the two stories were woven together. As someone who hasn't taken any anatomy courses as of yet, I can say with some confidence that even at its most scientific is written in such a way that a layman can understand it. However, much of the book comes at you from a more personal level. Details of the lives of the two Henrys are revealed, such as Carter's struggle with faith and tragedy in the family, the context in which Gray's anatomy first came to be written. The author himself, too, reveals much of himself, his past, his apprehensions, and his curiosity to the ready. The vulnerability really helps draw you in as a ready, to relate and sympathize with the (yes, somewhat morbid) fascination felt by the author and the two Henrys in each of their journeys into the structure of the human body.
Since my own foray into human anatomy is inching closer each day, this book really struck a chord in me, and I'm finding myself more and more excited about the vast amount of knowledge I will get to attain soon, and am looking forward to my own experiences in the anatomy lab.
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