Book Log 2008 #38: The Anatomist by Bill Hayes

Hayes originally set out to write about Henry Gray, whose anatomical text has been the reference of choice for over a century. Unfortunately for Hayes, it turns out that Gray left little behind that could be used to write a biography, in part due to his early passing from smallpox. Rather than give up, Hayes turns his focus to Henry Carter, the book's illustrator, who proved a more accessible subject, and especially interesting given his competing drive to succeed in medicine and an almost militant piety.

Hayes mixes this story with his own involvement in a series of anatomy classes, where he goes from simple observer to amateur expert while musing on what anatomy and its study tells us about ourselves. The two tracks of the book don't always mesh well, but the ending throws a twist unusual to non-fiction, one which helps to tie things together. It's a short read, but an interesting one, as much for Hayes' story than Carter's.