William Hunter
William Hunter (1718-1783) was born in Kilbride Scotland and at age 14 he entered the University of Glasgow to study Theology. After 5 years he decided to become a doctor, and went to London to serve as a house pupil of Smellie and then assistant to Dr. James Douglas. In 1748 he was appointed to the lying-in-dept of Middlesex Hospital and the British lying-in hospital in 1749. In 1750 Hunter received the M.D. degree from the University of Glasgow. Meanwhile his private practice was flourishing, and at the age of 44 he was appointed physician extraordinary to Queen Charlotte, and had become the leading physician-man midwife of his day. He was very attentive to his parents, lived simply and was very industrious. Among his friends were Hogarth, Reynolds, Gainsborough, and Samuel Johnson. He received many honors: Fellow of the Royal Society (1767), Professor of Anatomy to the Royal academy (1768), and others. He died in 1783 and his possessions were given to the University of Glasgow in 1808.
From his earliest days in London anatomy was hunters main interest and once he achieved success he became a great collector of rare books, coins and paintings. This reflections of his interest in anatomical art led to the publication of the Atlas one of the finest anatomical atlases ever produced. It contains 34 copper plates depicting the gravid uteris, life-sized.
The opportunity presented itself when a woman died suddenly near the end of her pregnancy, and the body was procured before putrefaction had begun. Allowing favorable dissection and every part was examined and the " truth well authenticated: This great atlas had its exquisite etched prints done by Jan Van Reimsdyk. The text described the musculature of the uterus, and that the deciduas was a lining of the uterus and not derived from the ovary. Above all, contrary to the wisdom of the time the feto-placenta circulation was completely independent of that of the mother.
The atlas is an elephant folio, dedicated by permission to the king, with pages originally measuring 22 x 16 ½ inches. The title page of the book has details both in latin and English, and the textural descriptions opposite the plates are also in both languages.
The bicentery of the Atlas in 1974 provided an opportunity to investigate and review the events leading up to its publication. The fact that the publication was being celebrated 200 years later as a monument to all involved would be significant reward for William hunter. However, the fact remains that it was a significant contribution to the literature of obstetrics and bears the same relationship to its subject as does Vesalius' De Fabrica 1543 to anatomy, and Harvey's De motue Cordis 1628 Uterus, 1774 is a cornerstone in the Hierarchy of obstetrical literature.
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