Article # 1
Touching a Nerve : The Case to Preserve Cadaveric Dissection
Opinion
Article # 1
Touching a Nerve : The Case to Preserve Cadaveric Dissection
Author : Steven O ’ Neill Keywords :
Cadaver dissection ; virtual dissector ; multimodal learning ; empathy
Institution :
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine , USA
Contact Information :
3rd Year MD / MS in Applied Anatomy Student Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Telephone : ( 419 ) 705-1438 Email : sjo31 @ case . edu
DOI : https :// doi . org / 10.21252 / 6bxp-2w87
Opinion
The study of human anatomy is an essential component in the training of all healthcare professionals . Through an understanding of anatomy , students are brought to engage directly with the elegance of the body in a very detailed , very personal , and very challenging way . Cadaveric dissection is the principle means by which anatomy has been studied for the past seven-hundred years or more ( Ghosh , 2015 ). But tradition underscores technological advancement . More and more schools are adopting different models of instruction , favoring virtual modalities such as digital dissectors or augmented reality ( AR ) viewers to time spent in cadaveric dissection ( Shin et al ., 2022 ).
The advent of virtual anatomy instruction has brought with it practical and logistical advantages that circumvent the limitations of traditional cadaveric dissection . Foremost amongst these benefits has been a greater sense of accessibility . The ability to utilize digital models has allowed both students and educators alike to engage with anatomic content in radically different ways compared to methods of the past . Small neurovasculature can be enlarged for easier viewing , muscles can be contracted in isolation to simulate their action , and structures can be correlated with CT scans in real time . Not to mention , all these features can exist without the expenses of dissection facilities .
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic , many anatomy departments hurried to transition their lab-based curricula to an online format ( Shin et al ., 2022 ). Suddenly the value of virtual dissectors was fully recognized ; a subject that has only ever been taught through real human dissection since the Middle Ages could be fully accessible in one ’ s own living room . The pandemic accelerated a transition that had already been in progress for some time : the limiting of the dissection lab experience ( McLachlan et al ., 2004 ).
At my home institution of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine ( CWRU ), our anatomy department ’ s transition to virtual instruction was relatively smooth . CWRU medical students only spend two weeks out of their entire two preclinical years in the cadaver lab ; the rest of the anatomy curriculum is primarily taught using a mix of AR models , radiology viewers , and physical exam maneuvers ( Wish- Baratz et al ., 2020 ). I say this to preface that , as a student myself , I have had firsthand exposure to the legitimate advantages of these virtual resources . But I have also