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views on the technological development of the teaching of human anatomy
Being dissection the fundamental method to teach anatomical
practice, there is no doubt that technological advancements
have had, as in any science, a remarkable repercussion in
this field. In my opinion, regarding training in anatomy,
the figure of a teacher finishing off his explanations through
personal graphic illustrations is still essential. The educational
task must be supplemented with other resources, such as the
library –with treaties and both traditional and current
journals- the embryo library –with serial histological
sections of human and other mammal embryos and microscopy
rooms- and, as possible, the presence of an anatomical museum.
This museum has to include not only classical anatomical preparations
–in wax, plaster or paper maché-, but those coming
from new conservation techniques for the human shape as well
–such as plastination.
On the other hand, audiovisual media –slides, film,
videos-, diagnosis through images –radiographies, ecographies,
nuclear magnetic resonance, positron emission tomographies,
etc- and markers and nervous tracers gave the teacher an essential
support for the transmission of anatomical knowledge. This
task has received a quite beneficial collaboration from the
breaking of informatics lately. This technology has opened
a wide range of horizons, such as the possibility to detect
stages of human movement that remain unnoticed through other
methods, and the possibility as well to witness and study,
through interactive techniques, the reconstruction of any
area of the human body, from its elemental components to its
final stage.
As a consequence, thanks to these tools, we can avoid confusing,
as it happened in other already overcome times, “the
part with the whole”, thus showing, according to the
concept of Gaia, that the human being is a vital unit related
to its past, present and future fellows, as well as influenced
by nature, though with capability to modify it.
Prof. Dr. Domingo Ruano-Gil, Head of the
Department of Human Anatomy and Embryology of the Faculty
of Medicine of the University of Barcelona.
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