charles bell was a prolific author who combined his anatomical knowledge with his artistic eye to produce a number of highly detailed and beautifully illustrated books. in 1799, bell published his first work “"a system of dissections, explaining the anatomy of the human body, the manner of displaying parts and their varieties in disease"”. his second work was the completion of his brother's four-volume set of “"the anatomy of the human body”" in 1803. in that same year, bell published his three series of engravings titled “"engravings of the arteries”", “"engravings of the brain"”, and “"engravings of the nerves.”" these set of engravings consisted of intricate and detailed anatomical diagrams accompanied with labels and a brief description of their functionality in the human body and were published as an educational tool for aspiring medical students. the “"engravings of the brain”" are of particular importance for this marked bell's first published attempt at fully elucidating the organization of the nervous system. in his introduction to the work, bell comments on the ambiguous nature of the brain and its inner workings, a topic that would hold his interest for the remainder of his life.