Teaching Anatomy to Exercise Physiology Students

Abstract

“The taboo against desecrating the bodies of the dead goes back many centuries; it was prohibited by both ancient Greek and Roman religions. Cadaver dissection is essential for the acquisition of anatomical language. The first recorded instance of medical dissection of human bodies is in the sixth century BCE, when the Greek philosopher Alcmaeon began his research. In 275 BCE, Herophilus of Chalcedon founded the first school of anatomy at the Museum of Alexandria, in part to encourage his students to overcome their fear of dissecting human bodies” (http://knarf.english.upenn.edu/Contexts/dissect.html). Given the significance of this quote, students, teachers, researchers, and surgeons are still asking questions: Is dissection the only way to learn anatomy? Why don’t they have cadavers to dissect? When teaching anatomy, which is best – cadavers or computers? Can the YouTube help students learn anatomy? Is it better than dissection? Do students have sufficient knowledge of clinical anatomy with just lectures?

Keywords: Anatomic software, ASEP, Exercise medicine, Medical dissection.

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