View source for Frank H. Netter

{{short description|American surgeon (1906–1991)}}
{{Infobox medical person
|name = Frank H. Netter
|image = 
|caption =
|birth_date = 25 April 1906
|birth_place = Brooklyn, New York
|death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1991|9|17|1906|4|25}}
|death_place = 
|profession = {{hlist|[[Physician]]|[[surgeon]]}}
|specialism = [[Medical illustrator]]
|research_field = 
|known_for = Netter's Atlas of Human Anatomy
|years_active = 
|education = [[New York University School of Medicine]]
|work_institutions = 
|prizes = 
|signature = Frank H. Netter Signature.svg
|relations = 
}}

'''Frank Henry Netter''' (25 April 1906 – 17 September 1991) was an American surgeon and [[medical illustrator]].  The first edition of his ''Atlas of Human Anatomy'' — his "personal [[Sistine Chapel]]"<ref name="Netter 2014">Netter, Francine Mary; Friedlaender, Gary E. (2014). [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3916597/ ''Frank H. Netter MD and a Brief History of Medical Illustration'']. ''[[Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research]]'' 472 (3): 812-819.</ref> — was published in 1989; he was a fellow of the [[New York Academy of Medicine]] where he was first published in 1957.<ref name=Nyam>{{citation
|title=Special Collections Malloch Room Newsletter 2
|work=New York Academy of Medicine
|url=http://www.nyam.org/library/rare-book-room/newsletter-archives/rb_newsletter_malloch2.pdf
|access-date=2014-03-01
}}{{Dead link|date=December 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Biography==

===Early life, training, and medical career===

Frank Henry Netter was born in Manhattan at [[53rd Street (Manhattan)|53rd Street]] and [[Seventh Avenue (Manhattan)|Seventh Avenue]], and grew up wanting to be an artist. In high school, he obtained a scholarship to study at the [[National Academy of Design]], doing so at night while continuing high school. After further studying at the [[Art Students League of New York]] and with private teachers, he began a commercial art career, quickly achieving success and doing work for the ''[[Saturday Evening Post]]'' and ''[[The New York Times]]''. However, his family disapproved of a career as an artist and he agreed to study medicine. After getting a degree at the [[City College of New York]], he completed medical school at [[New York University School of Medicine|New York University]] and a surgical internship at [[Bellevue Hospital]] and attempted to begin practicing medicine.<ref name="Netter 2014"/> However, as Netter put it: "This was in 1933—the depths of the Depression—and there was no such thing as medical practice. If a patient ever wandered into your office by mistake, he didn't pay."<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=QIRMAQAAIAAJ&q=%22and+there+was+no+such+thing+as+medical+practice.+If+a+patient%22 ''Medical Times'']. Romaine Pierson Pub, 1981.</ref>

===Early medical art career===
Having continued doing [[freelance]] art during his medical training, including some work for his professors, he fell back on medical art to supplement his income. In particular, pharmaceutical companies began seeking Netter for illustrations to help sell new products, such as [[Novocain]]. Soon after a misunderstanding wherein Netter asked for $1,500 for a series of 5 pictures and an advertising manager agreed to and paid $1,500 each - $7,500 for the series - Netter gave up the practice of medicine.

===Career with CIBA===


In 1936, the [[Ciba-Geigy|CIBA Pharmaceutical Company]] commissioned a small work from him, a fold-up illustration of a heart to promote the sale of [[digitalis]]. This proved hugely popular with physicians, and a reprint without the advertising copy was even more popular.

Quickly following on the success of the fold-up heart, fold-up versions of other organs were produced. Netter then proposed that a series of pathology illustrations be produced. These illustrations were distributed to physicians as cards in a folder, with advertising for CIBA products on the inside of the folder, and were also popular with physicians. CIBA then collected these illustrations in book form, producing the ''CIBA Collection of Medical Illustrations'', which ultimately comprised 8 volumes (13 books).

Beginning in 1948, CIBA also re-used illustrations by Netter in another series of materials to be given to physicians, the ''Clinical Symposia'' series. These were small magazine-like brochures that typically featured an extensive article on a medical condition, commonly with about a dozen of Netter's illustrations. This series was produced until 1999.<ref>{{Cite web|title=» Staff Finds: Netter's Clinical Symposia Illustrations and Other Publications and Pamphlets|url=https://cms.www.countway.harvard.edu/wp/?p=13820|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-01}}</ref> In 1989, Netter's ''Atlas of Human Anatomy'' was published, assembled from his previous paintings and correlated by updated diagrams.

CIBA's Medical Education Department (East Orange, NJ) filtered the paintings for printing, in an effort that The Big Green Books "might appear more 'even' over time."{{cite quote|date=August 2013}} This sometimes resulted in a considerable reduction of color variation from the originals. Digital re-scans of the originals continue to be published by the current copyright owner to the collection, Elsevier Medical Publishing.  Selected original paintings have been exhibited internationally.

Netter's career was described in a commemorative video by Ciba-Geigy in 1988.

==Skepticism==

Netter was skeptical of the claims of [[alternative medicine]] and [[fad diet]]s. He wrote ''Fad Diets Can Be Deadly'' (1975) which debunked the misleading claims of fad diets.<ref>Flinn, Lewis B. (1977). [https://archive.org/stream/delawaremedicalj4911medi#page/n101/mode/2up/ ''Review: Fad Diets Can Be Deadly by Frank Netter'']. ''Delaware Medical Journal'' 49 (2): 117.</ref>

==Legacy==
In all, Netter produced nearly 4,000 illustrations, which have been included in countless publications.<ref>Hansen, J. T. (2006). ''Frank H. Netter, M.D. (1906-1991): The Artist and His Legacy''. ''[[Clinical Anatomy]]'' 19 (6): 481-486.</ref> In perspective, that number represents an image researched, sketched, and completely painted for every three business days for over 50 years.

The vast bulk of Netter's illustrations were produced for and owned by CIBA Pharmaceutical Company and its successor, [[CIBA-Geigy]], which has since merged with [[Sandoz Laboratories]] to become [[Novartis]]. In June 2000, Novartis sold its interest in Netter's works to MediMedia USA's subsidiary Icon Learning Systems, which in turn has sold the portfolio to [[Elsevier]], which continues to make his work available in various formats. His ''Atlas of Human Anatomy'' and other atlases have become a staple of medical education.

{{quotation|text=Dr. Netter's contribution to the study of human anatomy is epochal. He has advanced our understanding of anatomy more than any other medical illustrator since the 16th century, when [[Vesalius]] introduced drawings based on cadaveric dissections.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.graphicwitness.com/netter/bio/netterbio.html|title=Netter Medical Trial Exhibits. The Netter Story|publisher=The Graphic Witness|access-date=25 April 2014|location=Fort Lauderdale, FL|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131026000224/http://www.graphicwitness.com/netter/bio/netterbio.html|archive-date=26 October 2013|url-status=usurped}}</ref>|author=Dr. [[Michael DeBakey]]}}

The [[Frank H. Netter M.D. School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University]] in [[North Haven, Connecticut]] opened its doors in 2013.

==Awards and honors==
* 1966, ''Townsend Harris Medal'', [[City College of New York]]
* 1969, ''The Harold Swanberg Distinguished Service Award'', [[American Medical Writers Association]]
* 1973, ''Distinguished Service Award'', [[National Kidney Foundation]]
* 1979, ''Resolution of Commendation'', [[Florida State Legislature]]
* 1981, ''Distinguished Service Award'', [[American College of Cardiology]]
* 1981, ''Honorary Degree, Doctor of Science'', [[University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey|New Jersey College of Medicine and Dentistry]]
* 1985, ''Honorary Degree, Doctor of Science'', [[Georgetown University]]
* 1986, ''Life Achievement Award'', [[Society of Illustrators]]
* 1986, ''The Solomon A. Berson Medical Alumni Achievement Award'', [[New York University]] School of Medicine
* 1986, ''Honorary Degree, Doctor of Science'', [[Université de Sherbrooke]], Canada
* 1986, ''Lifetime Achievement Award'', [[Association of Medical Illustrators]]
* 1986, Dedication of the ''Netter Library'', CIBA-Geigy Corporation
* 1987, ''Honorary Member'', [[Radiological Society of North America]]
* 1988, ''Honorary Award for Contribution to Knowledge of Musculoskeletal System'', [[American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons]]
* 1988, ''Honorary Fellowship'', [[Medical Artists Association of Great Britain]]
* 1990, ''Award of Special Recognition'', Association of Medical Illustrators
* 1990, ''Honorary Member Award'', [[American Association of Clinical Anatomists]]

==Selected publications==

*''Fad Diets Can Be Deadly: The Safe, Sure Way to Weight Loss and Good Nutrition'' (1975)
*''Clinical Symposia: Surgical Anatomy of the Hand'' (1988)
*''The Netter Collection of Medical Illustrations'' (1994) [with Richard Parker]
*''Interactive Atlas of Clinical Anatomy: The Clear, Easy Way to Put Anatomy Into Practice'' (1997)
*''The Ciba Collection of Medical Illustrations'' (1983)
*''Atlas of Human Anatomy'' (1989, 2010)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{citation
|author=Frank H. Netter
|title=Frank Netter: The Man, The Artist, The Surgeon
|work=Medical Times
|date=January 1981
}} (condensed reprint from ''[[The Saturday Evening Post]]'', 1976)
* {{citation
|title=The Five Senses
|publisher=CIBA-Geigy Corporation
|asin= B00A17MKVE
|year=1992
}} (memorial portfolio and essays)
*{{cite book|last=Netter|first=Francine Mary (his daughter)|title=Medicine's Michelangelo: The Life & Art of Frank H. Netter, MD|date=2013 |publisher=[[Quinnipiac University]] Press|isbn=978-0989137607}}

==External links==
* {{citation
 |title       = Frank H. Netter, MD
 |work        = Netter Digital Images
 |publisher   = Elsevier
 |url         = http://www.netterimages.com/artist/netter.htm
 |access-date  = 2013-01-12
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20121023032505/http://www.netterimages.com/artist/netter.htm
 |archive-date = 2012-10-23
}} - Short biographical article by the current publisher and copyright-owner
* {{citation
|title=Netter
|work=US Elsevier Health Bookshop
|url=http://www.us.elsevierhealth.com/Netter
|access-date=2013-01-12
}} - Via NYAM
* {{citation
|title=Netter Images
|url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/Netter-Images/226623597364960
|access-date=2013-01-12
}} - The official Facebook page of the Netter Team at Reed Elsevier
* {{citation
|title=Working with Netter.
|url=https://medical-illustration.com/WorkingWithNetter.htm/
}} - A brief account of medical illustrator, Craig Luce, working with Dr. Netter on Vol8, Part III (Injuries) of the Ciba Collection, 1989-91
{{Society of Illustrators' Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Netter, Frank H.}}

[[Category:1906 births]]
[[Category:1991 deaths]]
[[Category:American skeptics]]
[[Category:American critics of alternative medicine]]
[[Category:American medical illustrators]]
[[Category:Medical textbook writers]]
[[Category:American textbook writers]]
[[Category:New York University Grossman School of Medicine alumni]]
[[Category:Physicians from Manhattan]]
[[Category:20th-century American illustrators]]
[[Category:20th-century American male artists]]