Dr. Netter's monumental work, The Ciba Collection of Medical Illustrations, consists of thirteen volumes of medical atlases that depict the anatomy, physiology, embryology, and pathology of mankindÕs diseases. He also illustrated nearly 250 issues of Clinical Symposia, a periodical that focuses on important disease conditions, and authored the Atlas of Human Anatomy, now in its second edition (1989), considered to be the standard atlas for clinical reference and patient education.  Dr. Netter considered this atlas his crowning achievement and referred to it as his own "Sistine Chapel."

Early years

From an early age Dr. Netter loved to draw.  He studied at the National Academy of Design and the Art Students' League of New York.  By the mid 1920s he had become a successful commercial artist, contributing to such publications as the Saturday Evening Post, Esquire, and the New York Times.

To satisfy the wishes of his recently deceased mother who wanted him to pursue a "serious career," he enrolled in 1925 at the City College of New York.  Graduating with a BS in science, he entered New York University Medical School. During his student years he supported himself by continuing to work as a commercial artist. While at NYU he began to draw in anatomy class because he found that he could learn better that way. He later recalled that "mine was a graphic viewpoint—my notebooks were crammed with illustrations. It was the only way I could remember things, just by making drawings." He received his medical degree in 1931, entering a surgical residency at Bellevue Hospital.

Second Career

He soon gave up surgery to embark on a second career in medical illustration which was to last for over 50 years. Dr. Netter was meticulous in the execution of his drawings, which are not only realistic, clear, and accurate, but also beautifully rendered and dynamic. This ability to communicate accurate anatomical information pictorially is rare among surgeons.  As a result, very few doctors shared his impact on generations of health care practitioners.

His contributions to medicine garnered him many awards including the CCNY Townsend Harris Medal in 1966, the 1981 Distinguished Service Award from the American College of Cardiology, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Medical Illustrators in 1986, and a 1990 Award of Special Recognition from the Association of Medical Illustrators.

Opening Reception

On April 11 at 4 p.m. the library invites you to the exhibit's opening reception in the Cohen Library Atrium. Dr. Ilya I. Glezer, Medical Professor of CUNY's Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education at CCNY and Baynonm McDowell, former head of medical illustration, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and current editor of medical publications for the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, NYUMC-HJD, will be the featured speakers.

The exhibit's curators are library faculty members Professor Claudia Lascar and Dr. Julio Rosario.
 

Claudia Lascar
Reference Librarian, Science/Engineering Library
clascar@crow.admin.ccny.cuny.edu
 
 
 

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