Artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo studied human anatomy to help them represent the human form more accurately, while medical men searched for a deeper understanding of human structure and function so as to overcome the effects of injury and disease. In Britain, the Royal College of Surgeons was the first centre for anatomical studies, but other institutions soon became involved. One of these was the newly created University College London, founded in 1826, where two years later the much respected anatomist and surgeon Charles Bell was appointed professor. More than 150 years on, anatomy is still progressing. Anatomists today are concerned with a wide range of issues, from the development and differentiation of the fertilised egg to the structure of the brain and its functioning in learning, memory and behaviour.
Anatomists study the human body from the molecular level to the entire organism.
In a modern anatomy department, you can find cell biologists, physiologists, neuroscientists, developmental biologists, pathologists, biochemists, pharmacologists, hard tissue biologists and palaeontologists. If you are interested in the biology of humankind, then anatomy is a degree option that you should seriously consider.