Hardi Madani

A minimally invasive approach to undergraduate anatomy teaching

Anatomy is one of the cornerstones of medical education. Unfortunately, sufficient evidence has accumulated to suggest a worldwide decline in the resources and time allocated to its teaching. Integration of anatomy with clinical medicine has been frequently advocated as the solution to this academic crisis. Consequently, new ways of harnessing clinical relevance to the teaching of anatomy must be sought to make it applicable to contemporary clinical practice. Human cadavers have been used to teach laparoscopic skills to surgical trainees for some time. More recently, centers in the United States have piloted the use of minimally invasive techniques in the teaching of anatomy to undergraduates. We believe that the use of laparoscopy on human cadavers may also be used to complement the teaching of anatomy to United Kingdom and European medical students. This would not only familiarize students with the topography and morphology of human anatomy, but also with the concept of manipulating anatomical structures to achieve a clinical outcome. Other benefits include improved three‐dimensional orientation, increased dexterity, and development team‐working skills amongst students. A UK feasibility study is currently underway. Anat Sci Ed 1:46–47, 2008.

Traditional undergraduate anatomy education – a contemporary taboo?

Anatomy continues to provide the conceptual framework of surgery, radiology and medicine in general. Robert Liston (1794–1847) is thought to have said that ‘The art of operating. . . must be laid in the dissecting room’. Unfortunately, undergraduate reforms in the UK and worldwide have led to a decrease in the teaching of basic sciences, including anatomy. Dissection in particular has been ostracized from the curriculum to the extent that many medical schools don’t even have gross anatomical facilities. These reforms have been described as a ‘deliberate reduction of factual knowledge’ and a ‘triumph of evangelism over common sense’. Furthermore, the abolition of the anatomy demonstrator posts has deprived surgical trainees of valuable exposure to clinical anatomy and teaching opportunities. Consequently, a new generation of junior surgeons is taking up operative responsibilities despite poorly mastering the relevant anatomy. Unfortunately, the academic community has by now become desensitized to the frequent concerns voiced by senior surgeons and anatomists regarding this issue. Recently, more interest has been generated by concerns raised by undergraduate medical students. These can no longer be ignored due to the impartial nature of the observers who have first hand experience of the benefits and limitations of the current system.