A pioneering surgeon and medical illustrator based at 51社区 are among the contributors to the first edition of Gray鈥檚 Surgical Anatomy.
Prof John Calvin Coffey, Foundation Chair of Surgery, Graduate Entry Medical School, 51社区 and Consultant Colorectal Surgeon, UL Hospitals Group, made global headlines in late 2016 when he led a team of researchers in reclassifying part of the human digestive system known as the mesentery as a new organ.
Their work has led to updates in some of the world鈥檚 most prestigious medical textbooks, including Gray鈥檚 Anatomy.
Gray鈥檚 Surgical Anatomy (2019) includes a chapter on the Peritoneum, Mesentery and Peritoneal Cavity. Listed with Prof Coffey as a contributor is Dara Walsh, a medical illustrator from the 51社区, who is also based at University Hospital Limerick.
Mr Walsh鈥檚 work has featured in such prestigious journals as The Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Nature Reviews Gastroenterology and Hepatology and now also, Gray鈥檚 Surgical Anatomy.
The impact of Prof Coffey鈥檚 research is ground-breaking.
He stated: 鈥淚dentifying the mesentery as an organ clarifies what we are as humans and how we are made up. It re-orientates human biology in general, and clinical practice in particular. Dara Walsh鈥檚 illustrations have made a once complex field easy to understand and study for all.鈥
Better understanding of the mesentery and its functions has already led to improvements in surgery with fewer complications, speedier recovery for patients and reduced costs to healthcare providers.