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Medical Terminology Daily (MTD) is a blog sponsored by Clinical Anatomy Associates, Inc. as a service to the medical community, medical students, and the medical industry. We post anatomical, medical or surgical terms, their meaning and usage, as well as biographical notes on anatomists, surgeons, and researchers through the ages. Be warned that some of the images used depict human anatomical specimens. Click on the link below to subscribe to the MTD newsletter. If you think an article could be interesting to somebody else, feel free to forward the link of the article. Should you want to use the information on the article, please follow the CAA, Inc Privacy and Security Statement found at the bottom of this page. You are welcome to submit questions and suggestions using our "Contact Us" form. The information on this blog follows the terms on our "Privacy and Security Statement" and cannot be construed as medical guidance or instructions for treatment. |
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Self-portrait, Henry Vandyke Carter, MD (Public Domain)
Henry Vandyke Carter, MD
(1831 – 1897)
English physician, surgeon, medical artist, and a pioneer in leprosy and mycetoma studies. HV Carter was born in Yorkshire in 1831. He was the son of Henry Barlow Carter, a well-known artist and it is possible that he honed his natural talents with his father. His mother picked his middle name after a famous painter, Anthony Van Dyck. This is probably why his name is sometimes shown as Henry Van Dyke Carter, although the most common presentation of his middle name is Vandyke.
Having problems to finance his medical studies, HV Carter trained as an apothecary and later as an anatomical demonstrator at St. George’s Hospital in London, where he met Henry Gray (1872-1861), who was at the time the anatomical lecturer. Having seen the quality of HV Carter’s drawings, Henry Gray teamed with him to produce one of the most popular and longer-lived anatomy books in history: “Gray’s Anatomy”, which was first published in late 1857. The book itself, about which many papers have been written, was immediately accepted and praised because of the clarity of the text as well as the incredible drawings of Henry Vandyke Carter.
While working on the book’s drawings, HV Carter continued his studies and received his MD in 1856.
In spite of initially being offered a co-authorship of the book, Dr. Carter was relegated to the position of illustrator by Henry Gray and never saw the royalties that the book could have generated for him. For all his work and dedication, Dr. Carter only received a one-time payment of 150 pounds. Dr. Carter never worked again with Gray, who died of smallpox only a few years later.
Frustrated, Dr. Carter took the exams for the India Medical Service. In 1858 he joined as an Assistant Surgeon and later became a professor of anatomy and physiology. Even later he served as a Civil Surgeon. During his tenure with the India Medical Service he attained the ranks of Surgeon, Surgeon-Major, Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel, and Brigade-Surgeon.
Dr. Carter dedicated the rest of his life to the study of leprosy, and other ailments typical of India at that time. He held several important offices, including that of Dean of the Medical School of the University of Bombay. In 1890, after his retirement, he was appointed Honorary Physician to the Queen.
Dr. Henry Vandyke Carter died of tuberculosis in 1897.
Personal note: Had history been different, this famous book would have been called “Gray and Carter’s Anatomy” and Dr. Carter never gone to India. His legacy is still seen in the images of the thousands of copies of “Gray’s Anatomy” throughout the world and the many reproductions of his work available on the Internet. We are proud to use some of his images in this blog. The image accompanying this article is a self-portrait of Dr. Carter. Click on the image for a larger depiction. Dr. Miranda
Sources:
1. “Obituary: Henry Vandyke Carter” Br Med J (1897);1:1256-7
2. “The Anatomist: A True Story of ‘Gray’s Anatomy” Hayes W. (2007) USA: Ballantine
3. “A Glimpse of Our Past: Henry Gray’s Anatomy” Pearce, JMS. J Clin Anat (2009) 22:291–295
4. “Henry Gray and Henry Vandyke Carter: Creators of a famous textbook” Roberts S. J Med Biogr (2000) 8:206–212.
5. “Henry Vandyke Carter and his meritorious works in India” Tappa, DM et al. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol (2011) 77:101-3
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The presence of Andreas Vesalius in Zakynthos (3)
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Continued from "The presence of Andreas Vesalius in Zakynthos (2)" According to Theo Dirix, Belgian Consul to Greece and Vesalius enthusiast, there are other reminders on the island such as a painting in one of the local schools. On September 3rd, 2014, as part of the Vesalius Continuum meeting on Zakynthos Island, a new bronze statue was unveiled to celebrate the life and works of Andrea Vesalius and remember his death on Zakynthos. This statue is a representation of Vesalius’ style of depicting anatomy in his book “De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem” and is a “muscle man” mixed with the motif of the famous plate 20 of Book 1 that shows a skeleton musing over a skull. The statue also presents the Vesalius family coat of arms. The statue is the work of Richard Neave and Pascalle Pollier. Pascale Pollier, a biomedical artist specializes in face reconstructions and made a new bust of Vesalius based on the only known portrait of the great anatomist found on the pages of his immortal book “The Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem”. The statue was unveiled in front of an international crowd of anatomists, medical historians, biomedical artists, and film makers. Following the ceremony a display of artistic works related to Vesalius was opened in the Zakynthos municipality. These are today the signs of the presence of Vesalius on Zakynthos. We know today that his body is interred in the cemetery of the church of Santa Maria della Grazie in Zakynthos. Sadly this church was destroyed twice in earthquakes and in 1953 was completely demolished along with 85% of the city. It was not rebuilt and now lies under the new, rebuilt city. One of the research papers presented at the 2014 Vesalius Continuum meeting has rediscovered the location of the church with great accuracy. The account of this paper and how I was able to find this geolocation will be presented in another article. Sources
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