wolf-heidegger's atlas of human anatomy

3
BOOK REVIEW Wolf-Heidegger’s Atlas of Human Anatomy, 5th Edition, Vol. I–II Edited by Petra Kopf-Maier. 768 pp., Switzerland: Karger, 2001. $130.50. The first edition of Gerhard Wolf-Heidegger’s atlas was published in 1954 as the Atlas of Systematic Anat- omy. It was a 3-volume set that was reprinted in 1960 and again in 1972. As new medical imaging techniques were developed, Frick, Kummer, and Putz revised the atlas yet again and added samples of some of these images in a single-volume 4th edition released in 1990 under the title Wolf-Heidegger’s Atlas of Human Anat- omy. Petra Kopf-Maier has now taken the work to a new level as she has directed the incorporation of 230 new illustrations and nearly 200 medical images. The number of these radiographs, CT, MRI, and ultra- sound images (as well as numerous angiograms, venograms, and bone scans) is nearly double that of other traditional atlases. Additionally, Dr. Kopf-Maier has added photographs of approximately 90 anatomi- cal sections and corrosion casts. Most of the additions from the 1990 version and the original drawings by Wolf-Heidegger and his illustrators (many from the Basle Anatomical Institute, where muscle plates were drawn from fresh dissections) were retained. Several were colored or re-colored for enhanced clarity. The result is an excellent 2-volume edition of pure anat- omy. The first volume (319 pages with 586 figures, 452 in color) deals with systems, body wall, and limbs. The second (448 pages with 866 figures, 677 in color) details the head, neck, thorax, abdomen, pelvis, CNS, eye, and ear. This arrangement, as stated on page XI, is “based on the organization of dissection courses into two main parts in many institutes of anatomy.” After the editor’s dedication, and before the Table of Contents, the editor pays homage to those who so generously bequeathed their bodies to science by in- voking the phrase inscribed above the Anatomical Theatre in Bologna: Hic locus est ubi mors gaudet suc- currere vitae (This is the place where death delights in helping life). This emphasis on teaching mirrors the words reprinted from the preface of the 1st edition (page IX) “…we are of the opinion that the Atlas is the primary aid in anatomical instruction, but it neither can nor should be a substitute for the detailed text- book and the spoken word; these are indispensable in preparing the student for what he is to see and in fixing what he has seen firmly in his mind.” The new edition is “completely revised and sup- plemented,” and has many outstanding attributes. The editor utilized Terminologia Anatomica (1998) for the legends and labels. This is desirable for consis- tency and is preferable to the use of number or letter pointers that require a two-step process to identify a structure, follow leader line to number, and then find the number on a table or list in order to identify a structure. Aside from this, there is virtually no text in the atlas. The idea was to enable the atlas to be coupled with any text. Although the diagrams and images are large, there is still abundant white space on most pages to allow room for notes to be written. Having two volumes might make it easier to carry, as the editor states, but it seems that the adverse affects outweigh (pardon the pun) the benefits. Pub- lishing two volumes gives rise to environmentally un- friendly duplication of the binding, introduction, con- tents, and index, as well as increased cost. Given that there are several other atlases with around 800 pages published in one volume (soft and hard back), and there have been no major studies of injuries resulting from the carrying of such atlases, it would be prefer- able for future editions to return to the single-volume format of the 4th edition. The only instructors who might see an advantage to having two small volumes are those teaching Physical Therapy students because the first volume alone may cover most of their needs. The diagrams and images exhibit mostly adult specimens and there is an appreciated consistent ren- dering of the right side of bilaterally symmetrical structures. The drawings are clear and artistic and the dashed label lines are fairly easy to follow. Some of the diagrams could benefit from the use of bolder color- ing, but all are acceptable. All regions are covered well, but the cardiac anatomy in Volume 2 is particu- larly thorough. In addition to a wide array of diagrams, the editor included echocardiograms (pp. 136 –137) and angiograms (pp. 146 –147), both matched to dia- grams. It was also helpful to have a diagram that relatively isolates the autonomics to the heart (p. 166). The CNS chapter was also well done and perhaps *Correspondence to: Dr. David Porta, Dept. of Biology, 111 Pas- teur Hall, Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY 40205. E-mail: [email protected] Received 11 December 2001; Accepted 21 February 2002 Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley. com). DOI 10.1002/ca.10052 Clinical Anatomy 15:372–374 (2002) © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

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Page 1: Wolf-Heidegger's atlas of human anatomy

BOOK REVIEW

Wolf-Heidegger’s Atlas of Human Anatomy, 5thEdition, Vol. I–II Edited by Petra Kopf-Maier. 768pp., Switzerland: Karger, 2001. $130.50.

The first edition of Gerhard Wolf-Heidegger’s atlaswas published in 1954 as the Atlas of Systematic Anat-omy. It was a 3-volume set that was reprinted in 1960and again in 1972. As new medical imaging techniqueswere developed, Frick, Kummer, and Putz revised theatlas yet again and added samples of some of theseimages in a single-volume 4th edition released in 1990under the title Wolf-Heidegger’s Atlas of Human Anat-omy. Petra Kopf-Maier has now taken the work to anew level as she has directed the incorporation of 230new illustrations and nearly 200 medical images. Thenumber of these radiographs, CT, MRI, and ultra-sound images (as well as numerous angiograms,venograms, and bone scans) is nearly double that ofother traditional atlases. Additionally, Dr. Kopf-Maierhas added photographs of approximately 90 anatomi-cal sections and corrosion casts. Most of the additionsfrom the 1990 version and the original drawings byWolf-Heidegger and his illustrators (many from theBasle Anatomical Institute, where muscle plates weredrawn from fresh dissections) were retained. Severalwere colored or re-colored for enhanced clarity. Theresult is an excellent 2-volume edition of pure anat-omy. The first volume (319 pages with 586 figures,452 in color) deals with systems, body wall, and limbs.The second (448 pages with 866 figures, 677 in color)details the head, neck, thorax, abdomen, pelvis, CNS,eye, and ear. This arrangement, as stated on page XI,is “based on the organization of dissection courses intotwo main parts in many institutes of anatomy.”

After the editor’s dedication, and before the Tableof Contents, the editor pays homage to those who sogenerously bequeathed their bodies to science by in-voking the phrase inscribed above the AnatomicalTheatre in Bologna: Hic locus est ubi mors gaudet suc-currere vitae (This is the place where death delights inhelping life). This emphasis on teaching mirrors thewords reprinted from the preface of the 1st edition(page IX) “…we are of the opinion that the Atlas is theprimary aid in anatomical instruction, but it neithercan nor should be a substitute for the detailed text-book and the spoken word; these are indispensable inpreparing the student for what he is to see and infixing what he has seen firmly in his mind.”

The new edition is “completely revised and sup-plemented,” and has many outstanding attributes.The editor utilized Terminologia Anatomica (1998) forthe legends and labels. This is desirable for consis-tency and is preferable to the use of number or letterpointers that require a two-step process to identify astructure, follow leader line to number, and then findthe number on a table or list in order to identify astructure. Aside from this, there is virtually no text inthe atlas. The idea was to enable the atlas to becoupled with any text. Although the diagrams andimages are large, there is still abundant white space onmost pages to allow room for notes to be written.

Having two volumes might make it easier to carry,as the editor states, but it seems that the adverseaffects outweigh (pardon the pun) the benefits. Pub-lishing two volumes gives rise to environmentally un-friendly duplication of the binding, introduction, con-tents, and index, as well as increased cost. Given thatthere are several other atlases with around 800 pagespublished in one volume (soft and hard back), andthere have been no major studies of injuries resultingfrom the carrying of such atlases, it would be prefer-able for future editions to return to the single-volumeformat of the 4th edition. The only instructors whomight see an advantage to having two small volumesare those teaching Physical Therapy students becausethe first volume alone may cover most of their needs.

The diagrams and images exhibit mostly adultspecimens and there is an appreciated consistent ren-dering of the right side of bilaterally symmetricalstructures. The drawings are clear and artistic and thedashed label lines are fairly easy to follow. Some of thediagrams could benefit from the use of bolder color-ing, but all are acceptable. All regions are coveredwell, but the cardiac anatomy in Volume 2 is particu-larly thorough. In addition to a wide array of diagrams,the editor included echocardiograms (pp. 136–137)and angiograms (pp. 146–147), both matched to dia-grams. It was also helpful to have a diagram thatrelatively isolates the autonomics to the heart (p. 166).The CNS chapter was also well done and perhaps

*Correspondence to: Dr. David Porta, Dept. of Biology, 111 Pas-teur Hall, Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY 40205.E-mail: [email protected]

Received 11 December 2001; Accepted 21 February 2002

Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ca.10052

Clinical Anatomy 15:372–374 (2002)

© 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Page 2: Wolf-Heidegger's atlas of human anatomy

suitable for a neuroanatomy course. The only com-plaint would be the lack of dedicated drawings forindividual cranial nerves, a handy feature for students.

The characteristic that most clearly distinguishesthis atlas from the competition, however, is the vastincorporation of clinical images (e.g., p. 69, there arelaryngoscopic images of an adult during various stagesof phonation and respiration). and medical imagingtechniques. In almost all cases, the frontal, median,and transverse MRI and CT images are closelymatched with photos of anatomical sections, andsometimes with drawings or corrosion casts. The re-sults are stunning. Furthermore, it appears that mostof the transverse tomograms are viewed from the in-ferior (caudal) as is common in the clinical setting. Forexample, on page 213 of the second volume, there isa beautiful set of images: a CT, transverse anatomicalsection, and a corrosion cast of the renal system alltaken from the second lumbar level and perfectlyoriented. In all cases, the scans and the sections matchand although some of the cadaver sections are dark,most of the photos and medical imaging are excellent.There are only a few occasions when the images anddiagrams do not reinforce each other. For instance, onpage 103 of the first volume, an MRI of the rightcarpal tunnel is properly positioned with a photo of ananatomical section. The drawing above it, however,will no doubt confuse the beginning student since theanterior view of the right hand is shown with thefingers at the top of the page and thus the thumb onthe right side of the page. The specimen and MRIimmediately below it show the tunnel from the infe-rior view that places the thumb on the left side of thepage. Simply turning the drawing 180 degrees, andindicating the plane of section with a line, would haveavoided a great deal of potential confusion.

Given that most bequeathals are geriatric, the pres-ence of juvenile anatomy in an atlas provides a rareeducational opportunity. This atlas demonstrates suchareas that are common to most atlases: skeletal devel-opment (v1, pp. 8–9), fetal circulation (v1, p.13), new-born skull (v2, p.17), and descent of testes (v2, p. 272,unfortunately this figure lacks notes indicating thegestational age). But there are also images of: thesection of a breast from a 16- and a 28-year-old female(v1, p.70), a diagram and radiograph of the pelvis of a3-month-old child (v1, p. 177), dentition of 1- and5-year-olds (v2, pp. 42–43), a drawing of the thymus ofa newborn and 3-year-old child (v2, p. 104), a diagramof the liver of a newborn child (v2, p. 181), drawings offetal kidneys (v2, p. 210), and photos of a corrosioncast of a 15-year-old’s kidneys (v2, pp. 213–214). Alsorelated, there are endoscopic views of the uterine os

from both nulliparous and multiparous women (v2,pp. 268–269).

This atlas has two unusual features. In the legends,a parenthetical percentage indicates the relative sizeof the image referred to the original. I am not quitesure this is necessary for one who is performing acadaver dissection, but perhaps it becomes more valu-able to those who are reviewing after a long period oftime away from the dissection or surgical suite. Per-sonally, I would prefer to see a notation of specimenage instead of a size scale. Secondly, this atlas containsuncommon data on the classic muscle attachmentdrawings. They have utilized color coding of the at-tachment points to indicate innervation (e.g., v1, pp.112–113, 117, and 128 for upper limb musculature).This strikes me as such an unusual marriage of infor-mation. After a month of pondering, I still cannotdetermine if this is more of a benefit or distraction,and must admit that I have simply ignored the coding.

In terms of formatting, there is one peculiarityrelating to pagination. When more than one figureappears on a page, the figure is referred to by the pagenumber combined with a letter designation. The pe-culiarity relates to the position of the numbering. Allpage numbers are placed on the top left corner of eachpage, even the right facing page. Thus one must lookat the left page or entirely open the text in order tofind a particular page number.

Although I greatly enjoyed reviewing this atlas,there are a number of less-than-positive features. Thecover is the thinnest of any hardback text in mylibrary. Although this would lead to less weight tocarry, one can’t help but wonder about the durability.The cover is in between that of a soft and hardcover.

Regardless of the number of revisions, minor dif-ferences of opinion regarding placement of diagrams(e.g., in vol. 1, dermatome diagrams on pages 134a and244a might be better placed in the systems chapteraround page 22 or in the body wall chapter aroundpage 78) are inevitable, as are differences related towhat minor structures are included vs. excluded (e.g.,Waldeyer’s ring and Ward’s triangle are included, butthe Ligament of Treitz and Meckel’s Diverticulumare not). It is safe to assume, however, that the over-whelming majority of atlases are sold to students pre-paring to dissect a cadaver for the first time—notseasoned anatomists. With this in mind, one mustconsider the needs of the amateur first and foremost.Ease of use and organization should be paramount ifone desires continued publishing success.

Color-coding of pages into sections or chapterswould greatly increase the ease of use when one isquickly trying to find a structure during lecture, lab, orreview. Likewise, an expanded subject index would

Book Review 373

Page 3: Wolf-Heidegger's atlas of human anatomy

be desirable. Currently, the medial arcuate ligament isfound in the “M” section of the index, whereas theligamentum flavum is found in the “L” section. Underligament there are only seven entries. For the studentdesiring to look up a particular ligament but oftenmistaken about the precise name, conventional listingof all ligaments together would provide greater oppor-tunity for success. Another “ease-of-use” issue relatesto the antebrachium and the practice (by no meanslimited to only this atlas) of not providing a hand orclear reference to the thumb in the diagrams. Inclu-sion of such would make orientation easy for thebeginning student (v1, pp. 114–119 and 150–155).

Lastly, the organization of the atlas is far from idealfor the beginning dissector. For example, the Headand Neck chapter of Volume 2 begins (p. 1) with avery detailed section on skeletal anatomy. This iscommon and given that the skeleton provides somuch of the surface morphology, it is appropriate tounderstand it prior to dissection. Musculature, how-ever, is not covered until page 28. Then the atlasreturns to the mandible and teeth, followed by oral

cavity, pharynx, nasal cavity, and then larynx. An over-view of the vasculature is not seen until 74 pages intothe work! The superficial veins, lymphatics, andnerves (the first structures to be dissected) are notshown until pages 80–85. This type of organizationwill quickly frustrate students and is precisely why theatlases by Netter and Grant will remain the mostpopular with first year students; although, this atlasprobably provides much more anatomical information.

In closing, I was honored to be asked to review thisatlas. It is an excellent resource that I am proud to nowhave in my library. It would no doubt be useful tostudents especially with its vast array of clinical im-ages, but it needs to be made more user-friendly if thepublisher expects to compete with the likes of otherpopular atlases.

David J. Porta*Department of BiologyBellarmine UniversityLouisville, Kentucky

374 Book Review