Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 1703

BENJAMIN WATERHOUSE HAWKINS (1807-1889) A comparative view of the human and animal frame. Chapman and Hall 1860 26 [1] pp., 10 fold. plates. 38.5 cm.

Hawkins was an accomplished artist and author of such works on natural history as Popular comparative anatomy, Elements of form, and Animals and their uses. According to the book's title page, he was restorer of the extinct animals in the Crystal Palace at Sydenham. In the Preface Hawkins noted that the purpose of this work "is to give a comparative view of the variations in form of the bony skeleton or framework of those animals most frequently required by the artist, designer, or ornamentist." Hawkins also gratefully acknowledged his indebtedness to the Royal College of Surgeons who gave him free access to the Hunterian collection (see No. 1669) from which he made the drawings for this book. The book contains minimal text and ten double-page, tinted lithographic plates, depicting the human skeleton in comparison with the skeletons of twelve different animals ranging from dog to elephant. The artistry is superb and the effect is impressive.

See Related Record(s): 1669

Gift of John Martin, M.D.