Artwork of Frank Netter -- "Medicine's Michelangelo"
Frank H. Netter was a highly regarded medical illustrator, often called "Medicine's Michelangelo," whose anatomical illustrations and paintings have been used to educate generations of healthcare professionals. Netter was a surgeon and prolific medical illustrator whose work, including “Atlas of Human Anatomy”, has been translated into a dozen languages and is widely used by undergraduate medical students. Netter was a prolific artist, He was involved with many projects during his lifetime,
Quinnipiac University's Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine was named in honor of Netter. Quinnipiac University recognized the profound impact of Netter's work on medical education and wanted to honor his legacy by naming the new medical school after him. The School of Medicine was established in 2010 with a $100 million investment from the Netter family.
Photo Gallery
Frank H. Netter (1906-1991)
Influenced by Norman Rockwell, Frank Netter aspired to draw for magazines. "As far back as I can remember, ever since I was little tot, I studied art," said Frank Netter during an interview in 1986. At the time he was hailed by The New York Times as "The Medical Michelangelo." where he was quoted, "All I wanted to do was to make pictures," but discouraged by his family's belief that artists led a very dissolute life, in order to find a more "dependable" career, Frank Netter entered New York University Medical School. But even as he pursued his training as a surgeon
("Transparent Woman" (1939), a 3D sculpture that showed, in successive illustrations, what happens inside a woman’s body during pregnancy)
He took anatomy notes with colored pencils, which helped him learn. His classmates and professors often used his illustrations. During medical school, he was frequently commissioned for illustrations. At the time, doctors earned very little, with most money going to established surgeons. One day, a friend noticed he had paintbrushes in his office instead of patients, making Netter feel guilty. To force himself to see more patients, he charged $1500 for his next commission, up from his usual $50. When the client agreed, he realized illustrating was more profitable than being a doctor. After one year as a doctor, he resigned to focus on making pictures.
Following the success of these endeavors, Netter was asked to illustrate a series of atlases that became his life's work. They are a group of volumes individually devoted to each organ system, which cover human anatomy, embryology, physiology, pathology, and pertinent clinical features of the diseases arising in each system. Dr. Netter has completed volumes on the nervous system, reproductive system, the lower and upper digestive tracts, the liver, biliary tract and pancreas, endocrine system, kidney, ureters, urinary bladder, respiratory system, and musculoskeletal system.
(The information provided was sourced from "Art and Medicine with Sapana Adhikari, MD" and "Elsevier")