This is a landmark medical textbook and was published in 1831， decades before Dr。 Henry Gray came out with his eponymous anatomy text。 The paintings are stunning and an enthralling glimpse into the nineteenth century understanding of the body。 This was also around the time anatomy was breaking away from its notorious past of Burk and Hare-type murders， body snatching and grave robbing; and becoming an established medical discipline。 This book helped illuminate the course of anatomy as the bedroc This is a landmark medical textbook and was published in 1831， decades before Dr。 Henry Gray came out with his eponymous anatomy text。 The paintings are stunning and an enthralling glimpse into the nineteenth century understanding of the body。 This was also around the time anatomy was breaking away from its notorious past of Burk and Hare-type murders， body snatching and grave robbing; and becoming an established medical discipline。 This book helped illuminate the course of anatomy as the bedrock of Western Medicine。 Hence， it remains indispensable to a thinking medical man's library。 It should make a great gift for a doctor or a medical student。 Anyone with even a transitory interest in the human body and the history of Western Medicine should find the pictures entrancing。 The text of the book is in french， however， and I would not recommend it for a college anatomy course as modern standardized anatomical terminology is not used。 Plus our understanding of anatomy has changed， so Gray's Anatomy will continue to be the preeminent reference on the subject。Note: In a strict sense， this cannot be termed a coffee table book but it serves pretty much the same purpose due to the stunning pictures。 。。。more