I’m not a medical person but
even I know about the famous Gray’s
Anatomy book. The excellence of its illustrations were highly praised by
doctors, surgeons, students and teachers when it was published in1858. It's
still in print today. On arriving in Scarborough I went to seek out the grave
of eminent anatomist and surgeon who drew the meticulous illustrations. It was
Henry Vandyke Carter. Most people he saw
were probably on their back and his headstone was too. What a shame it hasn’t
been propped up by the council.
Henry grew up in a large house (near this grave) under
very religious parents. He was a bright kid who passed exams. He was studying
medicine but for economic reasons moved onto study surgery. He moved to London
and at 17 years old was taking medical courses at St George's Hospital. With a
brain the size of a Mini Cooper he flew through the exams but struggled to find
work. Wondering what to do next the 22-year-old became a student in anatomy at
the Royal College of Surgeons. Here he was approached by his professor of
anatomy Henry Gray with a proposal - did he want to help illustrate a book of
students? Yes. and for the next year or
two he drew the illustrations for the now world-famous Gray's Anatomy.
Henry thought Gray was a bit of a snob and was upset by how little money he was
paid but they were both dedicated to medicine and rubbed along. Aged 24 Henry
was so poor he prevailed upon Gray to get a set wage and was put on £10 per
month. The first version of Gray's Anatomy was published in 1858 when
Henry was just 27 years old.
He passed more exams, moved to Bombay and married
a slightly dodgy woman called Harriet Bushell. Her
real name was Amelia Adams and she’d previously been married (cancelled because
of her adultery.) They had a daughter however the marriage was annulled and
Henry’s embarrassment at having an illegitimate daughter was known across
Bombay. Things were different then the experience nearly destroyed him. Still 27
he became Professor of Anatomy at Grant Medical College and this post took up
the rest of his career. Gray’s Anatomy
was selling well and the money tolled in. He won various awards for his medical
research but almost nothing surpassed the success of that famous book.
After thirty years in India he returned to
England to retire. He was appointed "Honorary Deputy Surgeon-General and
Honorary Surgeon to the Queen" (not sure if he met her.) Aged 59 he
married again and had two children. Sadly he died too young of tuberculosis on in
May 1897 aged 65.
Here I am at his grave which he shares with his
second wife. There’s a road and pavement running parallel to it and hundreds of
people must walk by the grave every day not knowing someone famous is buried
there. Even today Gray’s Anatomy is
considered "the doctors' bible". I was going to lift the headstone up
and prop it against a tree but it wouldn’t budge. I could tell by the dirt
around it that toppled over a long time ago. All I could do was salute heartily
and leave.
Henry's home in Scarborough...