Anatomia

Anatomia is the only medical textbook written in the Hawaiian language. Gerrit P. Judd, for a time the only medical missionary in the Islands, wrote the text in 1838 to teach basic anatomy to Hawaiians enrolled at the Missionary Seminary (Lahainaluna School). Armed with the fundamentals of Western medicine, Judd's students were sent out to minister to a native population that had been at the mercy of lethal infectious diseases since James Cook's arrival in 1778. Judd's use of Hawaiian terms and descriptions provides us with insights into native cultural and healing practices in the early decades of the nineteenth century. Anatomia is a valuable addition to the growing collection of translations on native health and will be greatly appreciated by linguists, historians, and students of Hawaiian language and culture.