Joseph Maclise (1815–1880) was an Irish surgeon and anatomist. Publicly available information about his life is limited; what can be confirmed is chiefly his identity as a surgeon and anatomist and the representative work he left behind, Surgical Anatomy. This work connects anatomical knowledge with clinical surgical practice, serving surgeons' practical grasp of human structures during operations and reflecting an approach in which anatomy supports surgical procedure. In the nineteenth century, as anatomy and surgical teaching became increasingly systematic, works of this kind, oriented toward surgical application, were of some significance in helping medical students and surgical practitioners understand structures relevant to surgery. Maclise's name now appears mainly alongside this work, and details of his specific experiences and academic activities still await further verification.
