Editing Gray's Anatomy (section)

== Currently available editions ==
[[File:Gray190.png|thumb|upright|An illustration from the American 1918 edition]]

The current editions also contain [[histology]], [[embryology]], and [[pathology]] subjects that complements [[Anatomy|anatomical]] knowledge.<ref name="Elsevier" /> The newest edition is the 42nd edition. The more popular{{Clarification needed|date=May 2024|reason=Why is it more popular? Is this opinion or fact?}} 41st edition of ''Gray's Anatomy'' was published on 25 September 2015 by [[Elsevier]] in both print and online versions, and is the first edition to have enhanced online content including anatomical videos and a bonus ''Gray's'' imaging library. The 41st edition also has 24 specially invited online commentaries on contemporary anatomical topics such as advances in [[Electron microscope|electron]] and [[Fluorescence microscope|fluorescent microscopy]]; the neurovascular bundles of the [[prostate]]; [[stem cells]] in [[regenerative medicine]]; the anatomy of facial aging; and technical aspects and applications of [[diagnostic radiology]].

The senior editor of this book and accompanying website on ExpertConsult<ref>{{cite web|url=https://expertconsult.inkling.com/store/book/grays-anatomy-anatomical-basis-clinical-practice-41 |title= Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice by Susan Standring |type= eBook |last= Inkling |website=Expert Consult}}</ref> is Professor [[Susan Standring]], who is [[Emeritus Professor]] of Anatomy at [[King's College London]].<ref name=Elsevier>{{citation |title=Gray's Anatomy |url=https://www.uk.elsevierhealth.com/grays-anatomy-9780702077050.html |publisher=Elsevier |edition=42nd |author-first=Susan |author-last=Standring}}</ref> The three most recent editions differ from all previous editions in an important aspect: they present anatomical structures by their [[regional anatomy]] (i.e., ordered according to what part of the body the structures are located in – e.g. the anatomy of the bones, blood vessels and nerves, etc. of the [[upper limb|upper extremity]] is described in one place). All editions of ''Gray's Anatomy'' previous to the 39th were organized by [[systemic anatomy]] (i.e., there were separate sections for the body's entire [[skeletal system]], entire [[circulatory system]] and entire [[nervous system]], etc.). The editors of the 39th edition acknowledged the validity of both approaches but switched to regional anatomy by popular demand.<ref name=Grays39eIntroduction>{{citation |year=2004 |title=Gray's Anatomy vol.39e Introduction |url=https://archive.org/details/graysanatomyanat0000unse |isbn=0-443-06676-0 |access-date=21 March 2012 |page=9, bottom |url-access=registration }}</ref>

Older, out-of-copyright editions of the book continue to be reprinted and sold, particularly on the internet. However it is not always clear which (British or American) edition these books are republications of. Many seem to be [[reprint]]s of the 1901 (probably U.S.) edition.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}} Additionally, there are several sites where various older versions can be read online.<ref>{{cite web|author=Henry Gray |url=https://openlibrary.org/works/OL15399118W/Anatomy_descriptive_and_surgical |title=Anatomy, descriptive and surgical |publisher=Open Library |access-date=27 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bartleby.com/107/ |title=Gray, Henry. 1918. Anatomy of the Human Body |publisher=Bartleby.com |access-date=27 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://education.yahoo.com/reference/gray/ |title=Gray's Anatomy |publisher=Education.yahoo.com |access-date=27 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010212159/http://education.yahoo.com/reference/gray/ |archive-date=10 October 2012}}</ref>

Henry Gray wrote ''Gray's Anatomy'' with a readership of [[medical student]]s and [[physician]]s in mind, especially [[surgery|surgeon]]s. For many decades however, precisely because Gray's textbook became such a classic, successive editors made major efforts to preserve its position as possibly the most authoritative text on the subject in English. Toward this end, a long-term strategy appears to have been to make each edition come close to containing a ''fully comprehensive'' account of the anatomical medical understanding available at the time of publication.{{Citation needed|date=March 2008}} The explosion of medical knowledge in the 20th century led to a vast expansion of the book, which threatened to collapse under its own weight metaphorically and physically. From the 35th edition onward, increased efforts were made to reverse this trend and keep the book readable by students. Nevertheless, the 38th edition contained 2,092 pages in large format<ref>[https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0443045607 Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Medicine and Surgery (British Edition. 38th Ed) (Hardcover)] Amazon</ref> – the highest page count of any and an increase from the 35th edition, which had 1,471 pages.<ref name=35thEdDescription>[https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/2973401 Description of 35th Edition (1973) at WorldCat] Retrieved 21 March 2012</ref> The 41st edition has 1,584 pages.
Newer editions of ''Gray's Anatomy'' – and even several recent older ones – are still considered to be the most comprehensive and detailed textbooks on the subject.<ref>[https://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-04-10-gray%27s-new-look_x.htm 'Gray's Anatomy' is back after major surgery], By Glenn O'Neal, Posted 4/10/2005, ''[[USA Today]]''.</ref> Despite previous efforts to keep ''Gray's Anatomy'' readable by students, when the 39th edition was published, students were identified as a secondary market for the book,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170212012802/http://www.graysanatomyonline.com/content/0443066760/suppfiles/HistoricalIntro.pdf "cf. page 11"]. {{dead link|date=January 2018}}</ref> and companion publications such as ''[[Gray's Anatomy for Students]]'',<ref group=lower-alpha>Written by Richard L. Drake, Wayne Vogl and Adam W. M. Mitchell</ref> ''Gray's Atlas of Anatomy'' and ''Gray's Anatomy Review'' have also been published in recent years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.us.elsevierhealth.com/dsresults.jsp?lid=1&sid=959&orderby=copyright_desc&searchtype=quicksearch&pageid=55|title=US Elsevier Health Bookshop|website=www.us.elsevierhealth.com}}</ref>