Teaching anatomy in the fi rst Educational Institutions of Russia (for the 225th Anniversary of the Military Medical Аcademy)

The article presents data on the origin and development of dissecting rooms in the history of hospital schools, medical and surgical schools and academies. The names of the first anatomy professors of Moscow and St. Petersburg are presented; information about the development of the Department of anatomy of the Medical and Surgical Academy is given.

Teaching cadaveric laparoscopic anatomy in medical curriculum – An essential learning option

Teaching anatomy to the medical students is shifting from learning the traditional gross anatomy with didactic lectures to learning anatomy by laparoscopic dissection on the cadavers. The open dissection hall teaching is loosing relevance to learning clinical anatomy with laparoscopic dissection live by the medical students. Laparoscopic demonstrations can generate interest in surgery in the students that would otherwise not be possible in the preclinical years. Additional advantages of laparoscopic anatomy learning are improved three-dimensional orientation, increased dexterity and development of team working skills among students. The magnified laparoscopic views and the ability to deeply explore anatomical features to demonstrate the basic anatomy better with full clarity does makes an impression on the young medical students. The major disadvantage is student may feel the lack of pleasure of tactile sensation, of touching the anatomical organs during laparoscopic demonstration.

Implementation of use of hand-made three-dimensional models to teach Anatomy with supplement to traditional methods with limited resources

The status of anatomical education in modern medical programs is a cornerstone of medicine. Anatomy is one of the basic subjects in First Year MBBS curriculum. Apart from important it is also a lengthy subject to complete in allocated time duration of First MBBS. There are various subdivisions of anatomy like gross anatomy, developmental anatomy, microscopic anatomy, genetics, surface anatomy, radiological anatomy etc. Out of which gross anatomy is difficult to understand as time constraint is there in duration of First MBBS. In medical and allied branches total hours allocated for anatomy teaching and laboratory practical hours have reduced. Result in triggered the emergence of innovative ideas to maximize students learning. While studying the gross anatomy three-dimensional orientation is must to learn actual structure and relation with other viscera and vessels. Traditional way of teaching anatomy uses wall charts, books, slides, anatomical specimens, and practical anatomy as teaching resources and methods. It is fact that in most institutes, three dimensional models are available in their Anatomy Museum, but many Anatomists have complained about fault in exact structure, labelling and it’s relationship in these models because sometime these models are made by amateur technicians. As the medical education expanded and the reduction in human anatomical specimens due to shortage of dead body donations, as well as the limitations of time, place and other resources for anatomical training, the quality of anatomy teaching has been seriously affected. Apart from shortage of these resources, another big issue with development of skill laboratory which is now mandatory as per new NMC guidelines. Establishment of skill lab requires ample amount of finance. Though, skill lab can provide excellent resources to meet the existing lacunae in teaching Anatomy to students by virtual media and simulations. Latest innovations in better teaching aids in Anatomy, in market virtual dissection table is available now, which can provide in depth understanding and orientation of three-dimensional body structures. But as mentioned above, the cost of this virtual dissection table is too high that every institute can not able to afford it. In this situation, to provide better understanding and three-dimensional orientation to students making hand made models from cheap and easily available materials are better options for teachers and students as they can make themselves.Anatomy is a discipline where spatial visualization is of importance. Even anatomy textbooks and atlases provide two-dimensional static anatomical illustrations. To teach some anatomical structures by traditional cadaveric dissection or by traditional lectures is difficult. Some of the structures like gross anatomy of urinary bladder or facial nerve anatomy are difficult to learn by textbook which cannot give exact perception of real anatomy. Additionally, many structure get distorted while removing from cadaver or not able to trace even. In some cases, specific models are also not available for instance course of facial nerve from origin to its termination where hand-made models give excellent three-dimensional understanding. For students’ proper anatomical knowledge of anatomy/organs help them to improve surgical skills. Finally, surgical outcome will be better with less morbidity and mortality.

Teaching Musculoskeletal Module using dissection videos: feedback from medical students

Background and Aims Over the last two decades many medical schools have been exploring alternatives to hands-on cadaver dissection in teaching anatomy. This study aimed at reporting medical students’ feedback on using dissection videos in teaching anatomy of the musculoskeletal system. Methods Dissection videos were used to teach the anatomy of the musculoskeletal system for third year medical students. At the end of the module, feedbacks from medical students were reported using a questionnaire designed for this purpose. Statistically valid responses were considered for 284 students. Results Around 60% of the students enjoyed learning anatomy by watching dissection videos but the majority - mostly non-Jordanian - thought that the duration of the videos should be shorter. 83% (236/284)of the students enjoyed the presence of an instructor to guide them through the video and 85% (241/284) wanted to discuss the content with the instructor after watching. Most of the students liked to have access to the videos at any time in an open lab policy. Only 23% (66/284) of the students - mostly Jordanian – were willing to completely replace cadaveric prosections with dissection videos. Most of the students found that dissection videos helped them to understand anatomy lectures in a better way and in memorizing anatomical details. A significantly higher percentage of Jordanian students preferred watching dissection videos at home and preferred dissection videos to replace traditional anatomy lab sessions. Conclusions In the light of our present findings, using dissection videos as a teaching method of anatomy was well received by students. However, it seemed that the students wanted dissection videos to be integrated with using cadaveric prosections rather than replacing them.

Preservation of human tissue by plastination: An anatomical perspective

The necessity of preserving human tissue has increased over the years because of various reasons. Preserved tissues play a crucial part in the teaching and research of anatomy. This review paper has compiled the basic techniques of human tissue plastination from the anatomical perspective and its advantages over typical methods. One of the most effective techniques we used to preserve human tissue is plastination. It was developed by German anatomist Dr. Gunther Von Hagens. After him, many improvements are made to get maximum results. Because of this technique's advancement, we can see an accurate 3-D sample of human tissue, which is anatomically correct and looks almost real. There are essential procedures for all types of plastination like fixation, dehydration, defatting, force impregnation, positioning, and hardening. Silicone, epoxy, and polyester are primarily used as the polymer. Acetone is used for dehydration. Removal of fat is crucial for tissue preservation by plastination. Plastinated specimens are used in laboratories for teaching anatomy, in research institutes for morphological studies, and also in forensic to solve crimes. After analyzing several research articles, it was concluded that plastination has much more advantages than other human tissue preservation techniques for anatomical usages.

USING VIDEO CONFERENCING OF THE ZOOM REMOTE PLATFORM FOR TEACHING ANATOMY TO MEDICAL STUDENTS IN PRACTICAL CLASSES

Distance learning of students has become one of the main methods of obtaining knowledge for the period of forced isolation due to the worsened epidemiological situation. The discipline of human anatomy is fundamental and requires not only a digital approach to independently solve tasks, but also the direct use of the ZOOM conference portal for conducting practical classes with students. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching students using the zoom remote platform. In the course of research on the results of the course of teaching practical classes in the discipline of human anatomy, students were surveyed and tested to assess their academic performance and ease of use of this remote digital portal application. As a result, the use of videoconferencing facilitates the acquisition of knowledge by students, improves their academic performance. More than 90% of students consider it necessary to conduct a daily lesson in the video format. 3% of students consider this format time-consuming and inconvenient, but 95% of students believe that it is through videoconferencing that there is a direct connection with the teacher, during which it is possible to analyze complex clinical tasks. Thus, by sharing our experience and showing the advantages of using this video format conference platform in practical classes on anatomy to improve the quality of distance learning.