Jean-Baptiste Marc Bourgery
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Jean-Baptiste Marc Bourgery (May 19, 1797 - June 1849) was a French physician and anatomist who was a native of Orléans.
In 1815 Jean Bourgery began his studies in Paris, where he attended courses given by naturalist Jean Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829). From 1817 to 1820 he was an intern at Parisian hospitals, and subsequently spent several years as a medical officer at the copper foundries in Romilly-sur-Seine. In 1827 he returned to Paris and received his medical doctorate.
In 1830 Bourgery began work on Traité complet de l'anatomie de l'homme, comprenant la médecine opératoire, which was an 8-volume masterpiece concerning human anatomy. He worked on this atlas until his death in 1849, with the last volume being published posthumously. The finished work contained 2108 pages of folio-sized text and 726 hand-colored lithographs. The illustrative work was performed by Nicolas-Henri Jacob (1782-1871), who was a student of famed painter Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825).
The first five volumes of Traité complet de l'anatomie de l'homme dealt with descriptive anatomy; volumes six and seven covered surgical anatomy; and the last volume discussed general and philosophical anatomy. It is considered to be one of the most comprehensive and beautifully illustrated anatomical works ever published.
