Post by Professor Shafi Ahmed

In 1995, I walked into the anatomy department of City St George’s, University of London Medical School as an anatomy demonstrator. It was a privilege to be asked to return after 30 years to deliver the plenary keynote at the Clinical Anatomy conference. This 6-month demonstrator post was essential to passing the notoriously difficult primary FRCS, which had an approximately 10% pass rate. (I passed first time, which is still one of my greatest achievements) Dr Colin Chumley was the head of anatomy at the time, and to obtain this position, you had to write him a handwritten letter explaining why you should be considered for this prestigious role. Once shortlisted, he would then invite you for a 5-minute interview where he would say, "You seem ok, when can you start?" And that was it. St George's Medical School had a wonderful reputation for anatomy, with notable alumni. John Hunter was one of the most famous. A master of anatomy and surgery, Hunter created a teaching museum. Many items relating to Hunter’s life and work can be seen at the Hunterian Museum at the The Royal College of Surgeons of England. Henry Gray was an anatomist, surgeon and alumnus of St George's most notable for publishing his seminal work Gray's Anatomy. His career progressed with a focus on teaching and studying anatomy, advancing from Demonstrator of Anatomy to curator of the museum and, eventually, Lecturer of Anatomy at St George’s Hospital. The first edition of Gray’s Anatomy, was published in 1858. It comprised 750 pages and 363 figures, and is the most successful anatomical medical textbook of all time. It was also great to see anatomy still thriving at this great institution, although clinical anatomy has faced challenges globally due to changes in the undergraduate curriculum and shortage of cadavers. Speaking with some of the exhibitors, it was good to hear that there is still strong demand for physical anatomy books, which I think are so fundamental to the principles of surgery. The two books I used were Moore's and Snell's. I still refer to these books when I need a quick revision of anatomy. 2 years ago, I visited Basel and saw the original  "De humani corporis fabrica", the groundbreaking 1543 anatomical text by Flemish physician Andreas Vesalius. It was also good to see Professor Susan Standring, the editor of the 43rd and latest edition of the book. Thanks to Nicholas Renwick and Rehab Eltarhoni for the kind invitation and hospitality and a trip down memory lane.