Op. Dr. İlhami Güneral (1914–2006), author and illustrator of the first original dissection manual in Turkish and his contributions to anatomy

Abstract

Objectives: İlhami Güneral was a Turkish physician and surgeon whose contributions to anatomy education and medical illustration remained under-appreciated until this day. This study aims to outline his achievements throughout his career and acknowledge his unreported contributions to anatomical sciences in Türkiye. Methods: A series of interviews were conducted with his surviving family, relatives, and friends. Additional documents were also collected from various national and international institutions. Results: İlhami Güneral was born in 1914 in Anadolu Kavağı, İstanbul. He attended İstanbul University Faculty of Medicine and graduated in 1942. Upon graduation, he published his first book titled “Diseksiyon Atlası” which he also illustrated himself. His illustrations were later used in Prof. Dr. Zeki Zeren’s dissection handbook published in 1953. He visited and worked with renowned neuropathologist Philipp Schwartz between 1958 and 1960 in Warren, Pennsylvania. During his stay, he co-constructed a detachable “Transparent Brain Model” for teaching brain anatomy which was awarded with the Billings Gold Medal at the 109th Annual Meeting of the American Medical Association. After his return to Türkiye, he published his final illustrated anatomy atlas in 1972, the “Atlas Cerebri Humani”. He spent the remaining days of his life in his long standing home in Ödemiş, İzmir, as a private physician and surgeon. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1993, and passed away due to his illness in 2006. Conclusion: This interesting and unique dramatis persona is the author and illustrator of the first original dissection manual printed in Turkish.