Blumenfeld's book is described as a “historical mystery novel” and is
a one-off in the sense that it is not structured to allow room for a series to
develop.
The Anatomist referred to in the title is a real historical figure, though no doubt the name is familiar only to medical students today. Andreas Vesalius lived
from 1514-1564 and is often referred to as the “father of modern anatomy.” Blumenfeld’s narrator is a fictional “good
friend” named Jan van den Bossche of Brussels. Jan worships Vesalius from childhood and then
meets up with many of his former students and followers as he plots a course
from Brussels to the remote Greek island where Vesalius has met an untimely and mysterious end. Van den Bossche is so devoted that he even continues to
be a friend to Vesalius after the man has married the woman he loves. Years later, his quest is an attempt to discover the cause of his friend’s
death and to deliver some closure to the widow and his daughter.
It is the journey through 16th century Europe
that provides most of the interest for me. The book explores the two men’s strange friendship
while the political and social history of the era unfolds in the background. We visit several cities where Vesalius lived
or taught. As the journey proceeds, we encounter political intrigue, war, the black plague, the Protestant Reformation, and even the physical difficulties of traversing
the Alps on horseback. Just outside of Milan, Mr. van den Bossche visits a man who has a
collection of the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci, which may have inspired the
medical precision of his friend’s illustrations. Ultimately, van den Bossche arrives in Venice
where he boards a ship for a long and stormy trip to the island when Andreas Vesalius
had died. And, like any good mystery, the final pages bring some unexpected twists
and turns.
This is not a great book, but it develops the sights, sounds,
and smells of the 16th century nicely. One warning might be that
some of the details of finding bodies and the dissections are not for the
squeamish.
Mr. Blumenfeld was
born in New York and was a physician, pediatrician, and hospital administrator in the past. This is his first novel. I give it 3 stars.
Jdy 2/17/23
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