Frank H. Netter

Frank Henry Netter ( born April 28, 1906 in New York; † September 17, 1991 ibid ) was a physician and anatomist. He became world famous through his anatomical illustrations of the human body and how it works. Due to its very detailed and almost lifelike representations he is sometimes referred to as the " Michelangelo of Medicine".

Life

Frank Netter was born in 1906 in New York. Already in childhood by Frank Netter included drawing and painting among his hobbies. After appropriate training at the National Academy of Design in New York, he was in the 1920s working as draftsman, among others for the Saturday Evening Post and the New York Times. He then graduated However, at the urging of his family to study medicine at New York University. After finishing his studies in 1931 he began to draw medical illustrations to finance the opening of a practice. Two years later he completed his specialist training for surgeons and settled in private practice. During the Second World War he served as an officer in the United States Army and illustrated documents for First aid training soldiers.

His successful career as an illustrator began in 1938 from CIBA Pharmaceutical Company. After the huge success of his drawings to physicians and researchers outside the company itself CIBA decided to publish his illustrations as a book. The first edition appeared in 1948, the drawings have since been widely republished as anatomical atlases in various combinations. They include depictions of human anatomy, embryology, physiology and pathology. He also illustrated important medical breakthroughs such as open heart surgery, organ transplantation and engraftment of the first artificial heart. The professional during his 45 years of activity caused nearly 4,000 drawings are now in a collection consisting of 13 volumes compiled under the title "The Netter Collection of Medical Illustrations", which is also present in German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Japanese and worldwide a total circulation was sold over three million.

As his most important work Frank Netter looked at his 1989 published " Atlas of Human Anatomy." He was awarded for his work honorary doctorates from several universities as well as various awards from professional organizations and trade associations. In addition, he was an honorary member of the North American Radiological Society and the American Association of clinical anatomists.

Frank Netter died in September 1991 of heart failure. He was married to his death and had with his wife, two sons, a stepson and two daughters.