Edinburgh, therefore, was the cradle of anatomical study in the British Isles. In England Thomas Linacre had founded the College of Physicians of London in 1518 with the idea of its being a select body of physicians to raise medical standards and maintain them through its power of licensing to practice. The need of more modern surgical texts was indicated by the publication in 1525 of a translation of the work of the late fifteenth-century German surgeon, Hieronymus Brunschwig, which contained a brief section on anatomy, but there appears to have been no attempt to produce a new and up-to-date surgery in England. The fact was that the more advanced books from continental Europe proceeded to smother any continuance of independent native efforts, and in the field of anatomy this makes the early appearance of David Edwardes’s little treatise an astonishing chronological anomaly in the history of English anatomical writing. The importance of anatomy was now to be recognized, but it would be a long time before another native English treatise on the subject was published. The introduction of the officially recognized, and even encouraged, study of human anatomy into England was the result of influences brought to bear from several sources: the desire of King Henry VIII to improve the practice of medicine and surgery in England and possibly, too, with thoughts for a higher quality of military surgery; and the desire, as well, of some of the more thoughtful surgeons, of whom Thomas Vicary was probably one. So it was that in 1540 the Company of Barbers was united with the Fraternity of Surgeons to form what was called the United Company of Barber-Surgeons of which Thomas Vicary was named Master in 1541, an event handsomely commemorated in a painting commissioned from Hans Holbein the younger.[37] In the Charter by which the union was officially sanctioned, a statement is to be found which was to be of particular importance to the advancement of anatomical knowledge: the sayd maysters or governours of the mistery and comminaltie of barbours and surgeons of London, and their successours yerely for ever after their sad discrecions at their free liberte and pleasure shal and maie have and take without contradiction foure persons condempned adiudged and put to deathe for feloni by the due order of the kynges lawe of thys realme for anatomies without any further sute or labour to be made to the kynges highnes his heyres or successours for the same. And to make incision of the same deade bodies or otherwyse to order the same after their said discrecions at their pleasures for their further and better knowlage instruction insight learnyng and experience in the sayd scyence or facultie of surgery.[38]