The Beauty of Anatomy
Dr Adam Rutherford investigates the close relationship between discoveries in anatomy and the works of art that illustrate them.
-
- Cast:
- Dr Adam Rutherford
Watch Full Seasons and Episodes
Adam Rutherford begins his series by looking at the work of the 2nd century Roman anatomist Claudius Galen and the artist and part-time dissector Leonardo da Vinci.
Dr Adam Rutherford investigates the story of the Hunter brothers, the celebrated anatomists who controversially transformed both medicine and art in 18th-century Britain. Their belief that their students could only learn anatomy by carrying out dissections created an unprecedented demand for dead bodies and a market for the growing trade of body-snatching from graveyards.
The world's most famous study of the human body is Gray's Anatomy. The accuracy of the descriptions and the stark beauty of the illustrations made it an instant bestseller. Adam Rutherford tells the story of how, in just three years, Dr Henry Gray and Dr Henry Carter put it together based on dissections they personally performed.