A good hunch: Gray's anatomy ?

Question

I've been wondering for some time now why the series "Grey's anatomy" was titled this way. I kind of discarded understanding it as "Grey's body", her body isn't so much the theme of this series! I looked up to check if "anatomy" wasn't a nickname for the teaching program they follow in the hospital. No success either.

Then lately, I've spotted in another medical series ("Dr House") the very Dr House taking a nap in his office, his head resting on a "monster" book called "Gray's anatomy".

In the title of the series a play-on-words with the title of this book? Else (or anyhow), could anyone explain this title to me?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Gray's anatomy is a well know  English-language human anatomy textbook widely regarded as a classic work.

It is the base of all medical  events. It is the first book you get a a med student and that one book can help you from the start to the end.  Some of the worlds best doctor's still pull their book out from time to time to research and find parts of the anatomy.

Just like the author of the book took one simple idea of helping others and it turned into a great work... the same thing happens in a hospital.

Now that's just my take on it....

Answer 2

Yes, the title of the series is a play on words from the book; since Meredith's last name is Grey, and the show center's around her, and the series takes place in a hospital.

Answer 3

Gray's Anatomy is a famous anatomy textbook that has been in use since the early 1900's.  Its very common to find it in a doctor's office or a med school.  So yes, the name of the show is probably a play on that title.

Answer 4

Yes, it is a play on the classic text Gray's Anatomy. Henry Gray was "a most painstaking and methodical worker, and one who learned his anatomy by the slow but invaluable method of making dissections for himself." Unfortunately, not much is known about him for he died from smallpox at the age of 34. His book, Anatomy of the Human Body, was first published in England in 1858, and a year later in the US. The American and British editions are now numbered differently. So this is the 150th year of its publication! Although it has been continuously updated, many original drawings persist in the 39th edition.