Anatomy teaching: students’ perceptions

The goal of this study was to analyse students’ perceptions of anatomy teaching. A questionnaire was distributed to two classes of first year dental students taught anatomy in both problem-based learning (PBL) and traditional formats. The questionnaire explored the students’ most preferred techniques for learning anatomy, their examination preferences and their perceived level of mastery of anatomy. Fifty-seven (95%) students completed the survey. The most commonly used study aids were atlases, dissection and lecture notes (in descending order). Students expressed the desire for the final examination to include both written and oral components. Six months after the final examination, the students reported their perceived level of mastery of anatomy as either “very good” or “OK”. Even in the PBL curriculum 39% of both classes felt it is necessary to have quizzes during the course to motivate and guide them in studying anatomy.     

Fascial relations and structure of the tributaries of the saphenous veins

The objective was to define planar anatomy, fascial relationships and structure of the tributary vessels (TVs) of the saphenous veins (SVs). The gross anatomy of the TVs was evaluated by dissection in cadaver limbs and by sonography and computerized tomography in healthy volunteers. Correlated light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to evaluate and compare the wall structure in 45 specimens of SVs and 122 specimens of TVs. The TVs showed a subdermal path and were surrounded by an amorphous fatty tissue. Only the “Giacomini’s vein” and the cranial segment of the “anterior accessory saphenous vein” ran deeply in the hypodermis, ensheathed by the muscular fascia and the membranous layer of the hypodermis. The wall of the TVs was weaker than that of the SVs due to the absence of intimal hyperplasia, to lesser muscularization and to scarce connective tissue proliferation. The absence of any fascial ensheathing and the parietal weakness are suggestive of a lower resistance of the TVs wall to increased endovascular pressure. This would explain why varicose changes occurring in the TVs are usually greater than those occurring in the affected SVs.     

Catching up

The medical school I (S.M.) attended did not require dissection of a cadaver to fulfill the requirements of the anatomy curriculum. I had “learned” human anatomy through lectures, text books, and an atlas, but did no dissection. Although it was difficult doing anatomy that way, I passed basic science exams with high marks and did well on the board exams (NBME). I graduated from medical school with distinction and thought I was well prepared for residency. To my surprise, dissection of the orbit and periorbital regions and cranial cavity were included in my ophthalmology residency and were to pose a challenge for me. I requested the aid of a medical school anatomist to help me face this challenge. Not only did I learn the art of dissection, I gained considerable knowledge in anatomy (much of it clinically relevant), acquired better skill with surgical instruments and enhanced my logical and critical thinking ability. This viewpoint is based upon a diary I kept during my dissection experience. Clin. Anat. 9:53–56, 1996. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Viewpoint: exploring the human interior: the roles of cadaver dissection and radiologic imaging in teaching anatomy.

For a variety of reasons, new radiological imaging techniques are supplanting traditional cadaver dissection in the teaching of human anatomy. The authors briefly review the historical forces behind this transition, and then explore the advantages and drawbacks of each approach. Cadaver dissection offers an active, hands-on exploration of human structure, provides deep insights into the meaning of human embodiment and mortality, and represents a profound rite of passage into the medical profession. Radiological imaging permits in vivo visualization, offers physiologic as well as anatomic insights, and represents the context in which contemporary practicing physicians most frequently encounter their patients' otherwise hidden internal anatomy. Despite its important strengths, radiology cannot simply substitute for cadaver dissection, and the best models for teaching gross anatomy will incorporate both cadaver dissection and radiological imaging.     

On behalf of tradition: An analysis of medical student and physician beliefs on how anatomy should be taught

Human anatomy, one of the basic medical sciences, is a time‐honored discipline. As such, it is taught using traditional methods, cadaveric dissection chief among them. Medical imaging has recently gained popularity as a teaching method in anatomy courses. In light of a general tendency to reduce course hours, this has resulted in a decrease of dissection time and intense debates between traditional and modern approaches to anatomy teaching. In an attempt to explore trends in the attitudes of medical professionals toward the various methods of anatomy teaching, medical imaging in particular, the authors constructed a questionnaire and conducted a nationwide survey among medical students (in all stages at medical school), residents, and specialists in all fields of medicine. The survey results demonstrated indisputable appreciation of traditional methods of anatomy teaching, particularly cadaveric dissection, and showed that specialists believe significantly more strongly than clinical or preclinical students that anatomy and medical imaging should be taught separately. Strong correlations among the components of the traditional approach to anatomy instruction were also found. In light of the results, it was recommended that imaging should be incorporated into anatomy courses with caution, and, as far as possible, not at the expense of dissection time. It was advised that medical imaging has to be taught as a separate course, parallel to a traditional anatomy course. This will allow anatomical principles to be appreciated, which in turn will serve the students when they study radiology. “And we proceed in the following order: in front walks Nikolai with the slides or atlases, I come after him, and after me, his head humbly lowered, strides the cart horse; or else, if necessary, a cadaver is carried in first, after the cadaver walks Nikolai, and so on. At my appearance, the students rise, then sit down, and the murmur of the sea suddenly grows still. Calm ensues.” —From “A Boring Story: From the Notebook of an Old Man” by Anton Chekhov. Clin. Anat. 28:980–984, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Dissection as a teaching tool: past, present, and future

Cultural changes, scientific progress, and new trends in medical education have modified the role of dissection in teaching anatomy in today's medical schools. We discuss in this article the role of dissection itself, the value of which has been under debate for the last 30 years. The importance of dissection is considered from different points of view: educational, bioethical, and human values. Included are different opinions from professors and students. Finally, the current practice of dissection is described for some universities in the United States and Europe, showing its use as a learning tool.     

Improved dissection efficiency in the human gross anatomy laboratory by the integration of computers and modern technology

The need to increase the efficiency of dissection in the gross anatomy laboratory has been the driving force behind the technologic changes we have recently implemented. With the introduction of an integrated systems-based medical curriculum and a reduction in laboratory teaching hours, anatomy faculty at the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) developed a computer-based dissection manual to adjust to these curricular changes and time constraints. At each cadaver workstation, Apple iMac computers were added and a new dissection manual, running in a browser-based format, was installed. Within the text of the manual, anatomical structures required for dissection were linked to digital images from prosected materials; in addition, for each body system, the dissection manual included images from cross sections, radiographs, CT scans, and histology. Although we have placed a high priority on computerization of the anatomy laboratory, we remain strong advocates of the importance of cadaver dissection. It is our belief that the utilization of computers for dissection is a natural evolution of technology and fosters creative teaching strategies adapted for anatomy laboratories in the 21st century. Our strategy has significantly enhanced the independence and proficiency of our students, the efficiency of their dissection time, and the quality of laboratory instruction by the faculty.     

Teaching anatomy with surgeons' tools: use of the laparoscope in clinical anatomy.

The purpose of this study was to establish the feasibility of laparoscopy in embalmed cadavers to teach abdominal gross anatomy. One cadaver was selected based on body habitus and absence of previous abdominal operations. A standard trocar was used to enter the abdomen at the umbilicus. Two trocars were placed in the left upper quadrant. Pneumoperitoneum was achieved with continuous CO(2) pressure. Liver retraction was achieved percutaneously, exposing the porta hepatis and the gallbladder. The dissection was done with four first-year medical students using standard laparoscopic equipment. Following this, the demonstration was projected over multiple monitors so that all students could participate. Laparoscopic dissection in an embalmed cadaver is feasible and an excellent educational tool for both the medical student and the dissector. The dissector has the opportunity to manipulate laparoscopic tools in a human model closely paralleling operative experience, and the students have an opportunity to learn abdominal anatomy from a clinical perspective. Laparoscopic examination and dissection of fresh cadavers has been used for training surgeons on new procedures such as colon resection, antireflux procedures, and cholecystectomy. There is no report of this same technology used in embalmed cadavers to teach basic anatomy. This approach allows first-year medical students to learn the anatomy while exposing them to the technology currently used in surgical practice, and it affords surgical residents and students additional opportunities to practice laparoscopic skills.     

Attitudes of medical and dental students to dissection

Guy's, King's, and St. Thomas's School of Medicine encourages students to learn anatomy from human dissection. Today, there is a worldwide move of anatomy-based teaching away from dissection to prosection. This study investigates how attitudes toward dissection vary with gender and ethnicity. We assessed students' reactions and concerns regarding the dissecting room, any coping strategies they use to combat them, and analyzed effective methods of teaching anatomy to medical and dental students. Three questionnaires were distributed amongst 474 first-year medical and dental students before dissection and 1 week and 12 weeks after exposure to the dissecting room. Over the 3 months we found significant changes in the concerns of students about dissection. There were also significant differences (P < 0.05) between medical and dental students, males and females, and students of differing ethnic backgrounds, which persisted over 12 weeks. Both medical and dental students found tutorials and textbooks of most value in learning anatomy. Dental students found prosection more useful than medical students (P < 0.001) though neither group demonstrated a significant preference for prosection over dissection. Of concern, 7% reported recurring images of cadavers and 2% insomnia after commencing dissection. Interest in the subject matter and discussion were the commonest methods used to combat stress. This study contributes to the ongoing debate about the value of the dissecting room in the medical school curriculum.     

The anatomy lesson of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: irreplaceable tradition (cadaver work) and new didactics of digital technology

AimTo compare the efficacy of different components of online and contact anatomy classes as perceived by medical students.MethodsAn anonymous course evaluation survey was conducted at the end of the academic year 2019/2020. The organization of classes due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic provided our students with a unique opportunity to compare online and contact classes. Students’ responses were analyzed according to the type of obtained data (ratio, ordinal, and categorical).ResultsThe response rate was 95.58%. Approximately 90% of students found anatomical dissection and practical work in general to be the most important aspect of teaching, which could not be replaced by online learning. During online classes, students missed the most the interaction with other students, followed by the interaction with student teaching assistants and teaching staff. Very few students found contact lectures useful, with most students reporting that they could be replaced with recorded video lectures. In contrast, recorded video lectures were perceived as extremely helpful for studying. Regular weekly quizzes were essential during online classes as they gave students adequate feedback and guided their learning process. Students greatly benefitted from additional course materials and interactive lessons, which were made easily available via e-learning platform.ConclusionsAnatomical dissection and interaction during contact classes remain the most important aspects of teaching anatomy. However, online teaching increases learning efficiency by allowing alternative learning strategies and by substituting certain components of contact classes, thus freeing up more time for practical work.

From the middle of the last century, lecturers in anatomy courses for medical students have faced two major challenges. The first has been how to incorporate the rapidly expanding new medical knowledge into the curricula. This required a reorganization of the existing curricula, and anatomy in particular was under pressure to reduce teaching hours and the student load (1-3). The second challenge has been how to modernize the teaching approach and didactically redesign the anatomy course. There has been pressure to replace cadaver work due to high expenses and high organizational demands. In many medical schools, authorities have advocated the idea that cadaver work can be replaced by other learning approaches with identical final outcomes (4). This pressure has become particularly notable in recent years and has been advocated by advancements in new digital technologies such as augmented and virtual reality (5).Anatomy is one of the fundamental and most demanding courses in any medical school curriculum. A frequent point of discussion is how to approach teaching anatomy and facilitate students’ comprehension of difficult concepts and memorization of vast amounts of new information. Universities worldwide adopt different teaching approaches. Modern teaching usually includes a combination of teaching methods within integrated and multimodal approaches to anatomy teaching (6,7). Six techniques for anatomy education have been proposed: in-person lectures, cadaveric dissection, inspection of prosected specimens, models, radiological and living anatomy teaching, and computer-assisted learning (8). Some universities have implemented curricular changes, especially since the time allotted to anatomy education in Europe, the United States of America, and Australia has considerably declined (9). The majority of schools have switched from a completely traditional cadaver-based curriculum toward more interactive custom-made approaches that better fit the learning strategies of new generations and that appreciate technologies such as augmented and virtual reality, social networks, and imaging for a better understanding (7,10,11). Cadaver dissection, considered a gold standard for teaching anatomy (12), still remains widely used. While occasionally contested, its importance in different aspects of anatomy education has been proven by schools that returned to cadaver dissection after having temporarily abandoned it (3,13). However, meta-analyses suggest that educators should appreciate and reevaluate each instructional method in order to meet all the students’ needs, since none has so far been proven superior to any other (14).At the University of Zagreb School of Medicine (UZSM), we teach a cadaver dissection-oriented teaching curriculum, with the use of additional teaching methods/tools, such as prosection and instructions/demonstrations on cadavers and artificial anatomical models. In recent years, we have enhanced the provided e-learning by vastly expanding the materials and activities available on our online platform for communication and teaching. We have also implemented a new, functionally oriented textbook (15,16). These changes aimed to enhance the awareness of the subject''s clinical relevance and to raise the students’ active involvement in the course.Our Department has been systematically assessing students'' satisfaction with the Anatomy course through anonymous surveys (student evaluation of teaching) after the course completion. The Anatomy course is taught during two semesters in the first year of medical school. In the first semester of the academic year 2019/2020, we finished the planned curricular activities as scheduled using our usual multimethod approach. In the second semester, the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic forced us to switch to exclusively online teaching for an extended period of time (17,18). Online teaching was prolonged because of the heavy damage sustained by the UZSM buildings in an earthquake that hit Zagreb on March 22, 2020 (19), immediately after the introduction of the first lock-down. We organized only a very short practical revision on cadavers and models in June, at the end of the academic year.Such an organization of classes in the academic year 2019/2020 allowed our students to provide unique feedback about the perceived advantages and disadvantages of different components of contact and online classes. It also allowed them to evaluate the significance of these classes for meeting the anatomy course’s aims and give feedback on the overall teaching approach of the faculty. Thus, we conducted a survey with the aim of analyzing information on the efficacy of contact and online classes in covering the anatomy course material. We also analyzed how students’ success on continuous assessment during the academic year related to the way they responded to different survey questions and whether there were significant differences in those responses.     

Self-guided clinical cases for medical students based on postmortem CT scans of cadavers

In the summer of 2009, we began full body computed tomography (CT) scanning of the pre-embalmed cadavers in the University of Michigan Medical School (UMMS) dissection lab. We theorized that implementing web-based, self-guided clinical cases based on postmortem CT (PMCT) scans would result in increased student appreciation for the clinical relevance of anatomy, increased knowledge of cross-sectional anatomy, and increased ability to identify common pathologies on CT scans. The PMCT scan of each cadaver was produced as a DICOM dataset, and then converted into a Quicktime movie file using Osirix software. Clinical cases were researched and written by the authors, and consist of at least one Quicktime movie of a PMCT scan surrounded by a novel navigation interface. To assess the value of these clinical cases we surveyed medical students at UMMS who are currently using the clinical cases in their coursework. Students felt the clinical cases increased the clinical relevance of anatomy (mean response 7.77/10), increased their confidence finding anatomical structures on CT (7.00/10), and increased their confidence recognizing common pathologies on CT (6.17/10). Students also felt these clinical cases helped them synthesize material from numerous courses into an overall picture of a given disease process (7.01/10). These results support the conclusion that our clinical cases help to show students why the anatomy they are learning is foundational to their other coursework. We would recommend the use of similar clinical cases to any medical school utilizing cadaver dissection as a primary teaching method in anatomy education.     

Quidne mortui vivos docent? The evolving purpose of human dissection in medical education.

The dissection experience has evolved over the past 500 years, following broader cutural trends in science and medicine. Through this time each period has recruited human gross anatomic dissection for characteristic purposes. Key variables have been: (1) the motivating philosophies of medicine and science, (2) how well clinical medicine and basic science have been integrated by anatomy, and (3) how explicity thoughts or feelings about death and dying have been addressed in the context of anatomy. The authors are especially interested in the third variable, and suggest that although anatomy is scientifically in decline, dissection is currently enjoying a revival as a vehicle for teaching humanist values in medical school. Changes in the culture of medicine have carried anatomy from a research science, to a training tool, nearly to a hazing ritual, to a vehicle for ethical and moral education. Physicians, scientists, and medical students, as well as observers such as sociologists and writers, have been only intermittently aware of these cultural shifts. Yet anatomic dissection has been remarkably persistent as a feature of medical education-indeed it stands out as the most universal and universally recognizable step in becoming a doctor. This paper attempts to explore and interpret in detail the history of anatomy education, drawing on both subjective commentary and objective data from each period.     

Accessory obturator nerves with bilateral pseudoganglia in man

During the routine dissection of the pelvis and anterior thigh of an adult female cadaver, accessory obturator nerves were found bilaterally with pseudoganglia. In addition, each accessory obturator nerve rejoined the anterior division of the normally placed obturator nerves after traveling superficial to the pubic bones. Histological sections revealed primarily normal nerve with no neuronal cell bodies within these focal areas of enlargement. No inflammatory response was noted in these histologically normal peripheral nerve structures. Further gross anatomy including other peripheral nerves was found to be normal. Peripheral nerve “ganglia” are found in the literature with little focus on histology. Our case report represents to our knowledge, the first report of a pseudoganglion in association with an accessory obturator nerve.     

Using fresh tissue dissection to teach human anatomy in the clinical years.

PURPOSE: Gross anatomy is taught in medical school with textbooks, cadaver dissection, plastic models, and multimedia illustration, but all lack the reality of color and texture that is possible with fresh tissue dissection. The authors studied the use of fresh tissue dissection of the thorax and abdomen of the rat to teach human anatomy. METHOD: In a half-day exercise, 52 fourth-year medical students paired off and completed an exercise to dissect in less than three hours the thorax and abdomen of a euthanized rat. Observation of organs was augmented by active manipulation such as passing a tube down the esophagus, cannulating the trachea and inflating the lungs, injecting dye in the kidney to trace the ureter and bladder, and pulling the testis through the inguinal canal. Comparison of the rat and human was emphasized to enhance the education. The exercise ended with practice suturing fresh tissue. RESULTS: Students rated the exercise to teach anatomy as 4.9 positive on a 5.0 (high) scale. The significant positive structures (p <.05) for texture were heart, liver, lungs and trachea; for color they were lungs and spleen; for location and size they were adrenal gland and urinary bladder; and for function they were adrenal gland and esophagus. CONCLUSION: Fresh tissue dissection of the thorax and abdomen of the rat is a valuable tool for human anatomy education. The dissonances in human and rat anatomy enhance abstraction and transfer of knowledge. Active manipulation of organs promotes retention of knowledge, and suturing provides a "clinical" context. Fresh tissue dissection is an efficient innovative method to provide a global review of anatomy of the thorax and abdomen during the busy clinical years of medical education.     

Plastination and its importance in teaching anatomy. Critical points for long-term preservation of human tissue

Most medical curricula rely on human bodies for teaching macroscopic anatomy. Over the past 20 years, plastination has become an important means of preservation of organs, for well dissected specimens or for body slices. Here, several critical points regarding body donation with legal and ethical considerations for long-term preservation, the use of cadavers in teaching and the preparation of plastinates as an additional teaching tool will be discussed. Silicone S10 is the gold standard in the preparation of plastinates. An important point to respect is the preparation of specimens, since only very well dissected body parts or excellent tissue sections should be plastinated to show the extraordinary aspects of the human anatomy. The preparation of thin and transparent sections and preservation with P40 polyester provides an additional technique to prepare resistant body slices. A selection of samples prepared by S10 and P40 are shown and compared. In addition, Prussian or Berlin blue staining of brain slices is shown to discriminate better between gray and white matter and demonstrate neuroanatomical structures. These plastinates have been used for many years in teaching first-and second-year medical students and have not lost their appeal. Students and staff appreciate the use of such plastinates. One of the advantages is that their use is not restricted to the dissection hall; slices and body parts can be used in any lecture room or in small group teaching. Therefore, ethical and legal questions need to be addressed regarding their specific use. Plastinates do not replace the traditional dissection courses, since students learn best the anatomical features of a given region by hands-on dissection and by exploratory anatomy. Furthermore, plastinates are more rigid and do not allow demonstration of hidden structures; they also become more cumbersome for endoscopy or are too rigid for demonstrating mechanical features of joints. However, although not a replacement for traditional dissections, plastination provides an additional tool for long-term preservation and for teaching human anatomy.     

Comparisons between the attitudes of medical and dental students toward the clinical importance of gross anatomy and physiology

Marked changes are occurring within both the medical and dental curricula and new ways of teaching the basic sciences have been devised and traditional methods (e.g., dissection for gross anatomy and of bench‐based animal preparations for physiology) are increasingly no longer the norm. Although there is much anecdotal evidence that students are not in favor of such changes, there is little evidence for this based on quantitative analyses of students' attitudes. Using Thurstone and Chave attitude analyses, we assessed the attitudes of first year medical and dental students at Cardiff University toward gross anatomy and physiology in terms of their perceived clinical importance. In addition, we investigated the appropriateness (“fitness for purpose”) of teaching methodologies used for anatomy and physiology. The hypotheses tested recognized the possibility that medical and dental students differed in their opinions, but that they had a preference to being taught gross anatomy through the use of dissection and had no preference for physiology teaching. It was found that both medical and dental students displayed positive attitudes toward the clinical relevance of gross anatomy and that they preferred to be taught by means of dissection. Although both medical and dental students displayed positives attitudes toward the clinical relevance of physiology, this was greater for the medical students. Both medical and dental students showed a preference for being taught physiology through didactic teaching in small groups but the medical students also appreciated being taught by means of practicals. Overall, this study highlights the expectations that students have for the basic science foundation teaching within their professional training and signals a preference for being taught experientially/practically. Differences were discerned between medical and dental students that might reflect the direct association between systems physiology and pathophysiology and the application of this knowledge within the medical field in comparison to the dental field, which is heavily skill‐based. Clin. Anat. 27:976–987, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Approach to the educational opportunities provided by variant anatomy, illustrated by discussion of a duplicated inferior vena cava

Variant anatomy recognized during routine cadaveric dissection in the first year of medical school offers great learning potential by allowing students to gain enhanced understanding of an array of important subjects. It provides a framework for reviewing common morphology and embryogenesis of the structure in question, and through the help of appropriate faculty, yields insight into the potential medical, radiologic, and surgical implications. The frequency of clinically important anatomic variation is high enough to allow the gross anatomy laboratory to serve as an excellent teaching platform in this regard. Through anatomy, the student is introduced to the concept of patient individuality, and to the individualization of medical and surgical therapies. Recently, one of the variations encountered in our lab was a duplicated inferior vena cava. We describe our approach to such findings through a systematic discussion of the anatomy and embryology, as well as the radiologic and clinical correlates.     

A change in paradigm: Giving back identity to donors in the anatomy laboratory

This article describes a paradigm of teaching in the anatomy laboratory where students interact with the families of the deceased persons whom they are dissecting. This approach focuses learning anatomy and medicine on the patient via the implementation of five guiding principles: the First Patient; Knowledge; Reflection and Reflective Practice; Treating the Total Patient; and Professionalism. Physician training typically begins with cadaveric dissection (i.e., dissection of the first patient), and therefore the medical school gross anatomy course provides an ideal environment for multifaceted educational experiences where cadaveric dissection is used to teach structure and function as well as the skills and competencies critical to patient care. Here, these principles are described, and the impact on student doctors and outcomes discussed. The results suggest that mastery of basic science knowledge and competencies, including professionalism, compassion, and leadership skill is enhanced by this protocol. Clin. Anat. 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Classic versus millennial medical lab anatomy

This study investigated the integration, implementation, and use of cadaver dissection, hospital radiology modalities, surgical tools, and AV technology during a 12‐week contemporary anatomy course suggesting a millennial laboratory. The teaching of anatomy has undergone the greatest fluctuation of any of the basic sciences during the past 100 years in order to make room for the meteoric rise in molecular sciences. Classically, anatomy consisted of a 2‐year methodical, horizontal, anatomy course; anatomy has now morphed into a 12‐week accelerated course in a vertical curriculum, at most institutions. Surface and radiological anatomy is the language for all clinicians regardless of specialty. The objective of this study was to investigate whether integration of full‐body dissection anatomy and modern hospital technology, during the anatomy laboratory, could be accomplished in a 12‐week anatomy course. Literature search was conducted on anatomy text, journals, and websites regarding contemporary hospital technology integrating multiple image mediums of 37 embalmed cadavers, surgical suite tools and technology, and audio/visual technology. Surgical and radiology professionals were contracted to teach during the anatomy laboratory. Literature search revealed no contemporary studies integrating full‐body dissection with hospital technology and behavior. About 37 cadavers were successfully imaged with roentograms, CT, and MRI scans. Students were in favor of the dynamic laboratory consisting of multiple activity sessions occurring simultaneously. Objectively, examination scores proved to be a positive outcome and, subjectively, feedback from students was overwhelmingly positive. Despite the surging molecular based sciences consuming much of the curricula, full‐body dissection anatomy is irreplaceable regarding both surface and architectural, radiological anatomy. Radiology should not be a small adjunct to understand full‐body dissection, but rather, full‐body dissection aids the understanding of radiology mediums. The millennial anatomy dissection laboratory should consist of, at least, 50% radiology integration during full‐body dissection. This pilot study is an example of the most comprehensive integration of full‐body dissection, radiology, and hospital technology. Clin. Anat. 27:988–993, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Anatomy departments and anatomy education: Reflections and myths

This report is based on the basic postulate that if the overall goal of anatomy departments is to function as vigorous academic and scholastic communities welcoming research and innovative thinking, there will be implications for the nature of anatomy teaching. In developing this theme, perceptions about the meaning of the term “anatomy” are explored, as are the repercussions of teaching anatomy entirely within the context of a medical curriculum. There have been a variety of responses to the perceived demise of anatomy, resulting in a discipline that is heterogeneous, both in terms of teaching and research emphases. The options open to university departments are assessed by way of the model of third-wave departments, with their characteristics of excellence, flexibility, planning, networking, and risk-taking. The consequences of this model for anatomy departments include the importance of a research emphasis, a close conceptual link between teaching and research, and a structural base for the research. In view of these consequences, three distinct forms of teaching are recognized: undergraduate teaching to medical and other health science students, undergraduate teaching to science students, and postgraduate teaching. Some of the distinctive features of the two forms of undergraduate teaching are explored. Various central contentions (myths) regarding anatomy departments and anatomy education are rejected. Clin. Anat. 10:34–40, 1997 © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.