This post will be of interest to the small subset of scientists that cherish ol’ skool analog anatomical work…folks like me. A few years ago, we “discovered” Ghetie’s Anatomical Atlas of Domestic Birds. Published in 1976 in Bucharest, Romania, this treasure trove of bird structure has flown under the radar for most avian anatomists. It’s a tremendously useful volume in that it illustrates with deceptively simple black-and-white drawings the detailed anatomical structure of a range of domesticated birds. There’s virtually no text, but the explanations of the illustrations are in English, French, Romanian, and Russian. All the anatomical structures are labeled in the familiar (for many of us) Latin. As a one-time avian nomenclator, I should have been well aware of this book, and so I’m embarrassed to admit that I wasn’t. But, with some trepidation, I’m now making it freely available as a PDF download.
Laying hands on this resource
I became aware of this book when Taka Tsuihiji (currently at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo) was a postdoctoral researcher in my lab (2006–2008). Taka has an amazing library of vintage anatomical and paleontological texts, but, for Ghetie’s atlas, all he had was an old stained and tattered photocopy in a three-ring binder. Still, it was a revelation to see it. I managed to find an original volume on interlibrary loan, and then painstakingly made the best scan-to-PDF copy I possibly could.
The decision to share
We’ve sat on this PDF for years, but recently I made the decision to share it on the internet (DOWNLOAD IT HERE: 15.6 MB). Of course the concern was whether I have the legal right to do so, and, to be honest, I’m still not entirely sure. If anyone has information suggesting that I should not make this available, please let me know. A couple years ago, I investigated the matter pretty seriously. The volume itself has no clear sign of copyright. I searched the internet for information about the publishing house, which appears to be a governmental agency. I searched for information on Ghetie’s family to seek permission. I came up empty on all counts, and so it seemed to be in the public domain, but still I sat on it. Lately, I’ve decided to make it available. I put myself in the shoes of the authors…scholars, above all, want their work to be used and valued. So here it is. Enjoy.
–Larry Witmer
Thank you for making this available. As an artist, I’ll find it very useful for creating more realistic paintings of birds. Scientists aren’t the only folks that enjoy and use a good anatomy text and these illustrations are wonderful.
Looking at the introduction, I agree with you – they would have wanted this work disseminated rather than buried.
This is so cool, thank you for offering it. Like Mr. Sloan, I’m an artist, and I definitely appreciate books like this.
Larry, this is fantastic. MANY thanks for posting!
Incredible! Thank you very much for making this available
…what I was searching for for months, finally GOOD references of bird skeletons and their musculature. Thank you!!
Also, greath but greath thanks from me because you make this aveilable. I am anatomist scientist of veterinary medicinae, and i think that this book will be wery useful not only for me but also for many of my colleagues in this research area and of course toa our students.
Thank you so much!
Fantastic! I’m a vet student with a strong interest in avian medicine, and this is an amazing resource. Thanks for sharing!
No one in my family wanted to use this reference to see upon which muscles they were feasting during the holidays! 🙂 Thanks again for providing access to this great reference!
Thank you from a veterinary pathologist.
I was researching for my ecology degree, and came across this, I can’t believe how beautiful the drawings are. I’m not sure how I will use this yet but I am desperate to find a place for some of it.
You are quite right, this should not be locked away, thank you so much for putting this where others can share it.
[…] Larry Witmer has made a true gem accessible to WitmerLab readers… Ghetie’s Atlas of Avian Anatomy. I’m too busy right now to do more than browse through it but be assured: it’s 285 pages of lavishly illustrated guts and bones of domestic birds. […]
Thank u sir….for making it available as PDF..Ty very much..
Thanks for making this excellent resource available! I am an evolutionary ecologist studying bird respiratory structures, and the detailed drawings of turbinates are quite helpful.
Thank you so much for sharing this!- it’s remarkably difficult to find such a detailed reference on bird anatomy, as you know!