A reflection on the role of anatomists in modern medical education: confronting meaning and mortality in the gross anatomy laboratory

Modes of anatomical instruction (especially the need to dissect cadavers) have been contested for generations. The present narrative provides an opportunity to re-approach this age-old debate and contemplate the state of anatomical sciences education through a narrative reflection of an encounter with a donor in the cadaveric anatomy laboratory.

Vertebral Anatomic Variations in Thoroughbred Racehorses in Trinidad

Reports of the occurrence of lumbar vertebrae variants in horses in Trinidad are rare in the literatures. Parts of the skeletons of two horses of unknown age and sex that died in a horse farm in Trinidad and Tobago were brought to the Anatomy laboratory. It was reported that specimens of fused left transverse processes of the 5th and 6th lumbar vertebrae and a blunted left transverse process of the 6th lumbar vertebra in thoroughbred racehorses in Trinidad.

Tools and Techniques in Preparation of Coloured Bones and Skeletons for Effective Teaching, Learning and Museums

Background: Teaching veterinary osteology and arthrology has been performed with free bones collected from various animals after processing and preserving them for long duration. The profession of teaching Anatomy to undergraduate and postgraduate students in veterinary colleges not only requires the knowledge on Veterinary Gross Anatomy but also the methods of preparation of specimen for laboratory use. This article explains the methods and steps in preparation of coloured skulls, bones of forelimb, hindlimb, rib cage, digits and whole mounted skeletons, to be used in the anatomy laboratory to increase the efficiency of both teaching and learning. Methods: A carcass of adult horse donated by a farmer was utilized for making complete coloured skeleton. The bones were collected from the carcass by natural maceration technique followed by cleaning with mild chemicals. The metallic paints and commonly available tools were used for colouring and mounting of horse skeleton. The parts of bones viz. process, fossa, articular area, foramen, the origin and insertion of various muscles were prepared with colours and labels on the surfaces of bones for teaching and museum purpose. The sequential step by step procedure for skeleton preparation in quickest possible time was standardized and explained using various tools. Result: The natural maceration in open water tank was found to be most effective way of maceration of carcasses for collection of bones with their normal colour. The bones were processed mainly with washing soap powder and calcium carbonate followed by drying in natural sunlight which increased the brightness of the bone without any damage to the structure. The coloured skulls, bones of forelimb, hindlimb, rib cage, digits and whole mounted skeletons were prepared with available tools and chemical as this work consumes less time and cost and increases the students’ learning efficiency, which will also be an asset and center of attraction for any Institution.

Theatrum Anatomicum Rigense MCMXX and the historical collection of teaching and research exponates in the Institute of Anatomy and Anthropology of Riga Stradiņš University

The Institute of Anatomy and Anthropology (AAI) of Riga Stradiņš University (RSU) displays a remarkable historical collection of educational and scientific materials on anatomy and embryology, 8381 items in total. The creation of the collection started in 2002, and nowadays it integrates 16 sub-collections: the main exhibits of P. Stradiņš’s collection; the collection of pathological exhibits from Gailezers Hospital with 542 items; the collection of the Children’s Clinical University Hospital with 21 exhibits; Anatomy Laboratory collection with 105 exhibits; Professor A. Amelin’s collection with 134 exhibits; the animal collection with 64 exhibits; the collection of embryological exhibits with 138 specimens together with 59 exhibits of the reproductive system; the bone collection from archaeological excavations in Riga with 986 exhibits; the collection of bone preparations and skulls, 4714 exhibits; V. Derums’ bone collection of 94 items. A separate collection contains 67 exhibits from the first Latvian anatomical excavations conducted under the guidance of Professor J. Prīmanis and Polish archaeological excavations of the Order of the Brothers of the Sword in St. George’s Church and the Convent yard, which includes 48 historical finds; the above is supplemented by 26 finds from anthropological material and a collection of bone specimens with 82 exhibits and a collection of skulls with 159 exhibits. A separate section at the AAI exhibition displays a collection of animal bones, which includes 58 exhibits and is used for comparative studies. Since 2003, the historical collection has been used to teach Latvians and foreigners who are interested to understand death, diseased tissues, to teach sympathy and how to protect oneself and others from diseases. The historical material is used for regular student training as well as for students’ research needs. Finally, digitization of unique exhibits, description in Latvian and English, and placing in the RSU repository has started, and, so far, 240 exhibits have been processed.

Impacts of a gross anatomy laboratory course on medical students’ emotional reactions in Taiwan: the role of high-level emotions

Background Gross anatomy laboratory course at medical school is usually an important learning subject for medical students; however, seeing a cadaver often makes them feel uncomfortable. According to the broaden-and-build theory, positive emotions broaden our inventory of thoughts and actions, and build physical, mental, and social resources. Research on positive psychology found that through direct thanks and positive reframing, people who feel gratitude show fewer depressive symptoms. The present study tried to reduce students’ negative emotions towards cadavers by sequential activities, such as family interviews and an initiation ceremony, which induced gratitude and other positive emotions. Methods The Emotional Reactions Towards Cadavers Scale (ERTCS) was used to evaluate medical students’ emotional reactions after they see a cadaver. Third year medical students (n = 105) at Taipei Medical University in northern Taiwan completed ERTCS on three occasions within a single semester during academic year 2016. Repeated-measures ANOVA and hierarchical regression analyses were then conducted to identify any changes in the emotional reactions of these students. Results The ERTCS showed satisfactory internal consistency and a three-factor structure, i.e., negative emotions, high-level emotions, and excited emotions. High-level emotions were the highest, and negative emotions were the lowest among the three in our sample. Three-wave data showed that participants’ high-level emotions increased, negative emotions decreased, and the former simultaneously predicted the latter after controlling for the influence of gender, religious beliefs, experience of the death of a family member or friend, and burnout level. Conclusions While past research usually focused on coping strategies to reduce medical students’ negative emotions, our study supported the broaden-and-build theory, which emphasizes positive emotions, and demonstrated that elevating medical students’ gratitude to ‘silent mentors’ is an effective way. It is suggested that combining dissection courses with medical humanities can help students successfully handle negative emotions during a gross anatomy laboratory course.

First Year Student Perception and Experience of Online Topographical Anatomy Laboratory Classes using Zoom Technology during the COVID-19 Pandemic

During semester one of 2020, the units ‘Functional Anatomy of the Trunk’ and ‘Functional Anatomy of the Limbs’ which focus on human topographical anatomy were re-designed into an online delivery format and taught remotely in response to the COVID-19 lockdown. It was expected that the move to remote teaching would negatively impact student perception and learning experience, in particular that of the cadaver-based laboratory work. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the replacement of traditional face-to-face cadaver-based anatomy laboratories with an online version using digital anatomy resources and Zoom technology as the communication platform would achieve comparable student learning experience and outcomes. First Year Students (n=69) enrolled in these units were invited to participate in this study and were asked at the conclusion of each unit to complete an anonymous opinion-based survey via Qualtrics. The Qualtrics data, student grades and Learning Management System (LMS) statistics were analysed. Results indicate that student perception of the online gross anatomy laboratory learning was positive and that it had complemented their learning. Most students agreed that as a visual learning resource, it provided an improved understanding of anatomy and helped with the application of anatomical knowledge. Interestingly, student performance showed a similar range of marks compared with previous years. However, students strongly agreed that the online 2D learning experience had significant limitations when compared to live use of cadavers in laboratories.