in 1798, bell graduated from the university of edinburgh and soon after was admitted to the edinburgh college of surgeons where he taught anatomy and operated at the edinburgh royal infirmary. while developing his talents as a surgeon, bell's interests forayed into a field combining anatomy and art. his inherent talent as an artist came to the fore when he helped his brother complete a four-volume work called "the anatomy of the human body". charles bell completely wrote and illustrated volumes 3 and 4 in 1803, as well as publishing his own set of illustrations in a "system of dissections" in 1798 and 1799. furthermore, bell uses his clinical experience and his artistic eye to develop the hobby of modeling interesting medical cases in wax. he proceeded to accumulate an extensive collection that he dubbed his museum of anatomy, some items of which can still be seen today at surgeon's hall.