Teaching of Anatomy to the Medical Student

How optional should regional anatomy be in a medical course? An opinion piece

“…Indeed, major doubts remain as to the best way to teach this basic science, particularly at the undergraduate level (e.g., Plaisant et al, ; Wong and Tay, ; Smith, ; McLachlan and Patten, ; Bay and Ling, ; Collins, ; Fitzgerald et al, ; Jamshidi et al, ; Xu, ; Memon, ; Mitchell and Batty, ; Mukhtar et al, ; Ahmed et al, ; Banerjee and Bancil, ; Braun, ; Pais and Moxham, ). These concerns are not confined to recent history (e.g., Lockwood, ; Dwight, ; Walsh, ; Berry, ; Hamilton, ; Khan, ; Von Bonin, ; McMurray, ; Ampil, ; Anson, ; Dewhurst, ; Friel, ). It is during the past few decades, however, that there has been great pressure to change medical curricula (Moxham and Moxham, ; Moxham and Plaisant, ; Patel and Moxham, ; Kerby et al, ; Moxham et al, ; Pais and Moxham, ) and this has resulted in a profound change in the way anatomy is taught in medical schools around the world (Coupland et al, ; Esperanca‐Pina, ; Esperanca‐Pina et al, ; Jones, ; Pais, ; Dinsmore et al, ; Cahill et al, ; Bay and Ling, ; Collins, ; Fitzgerald et al, ; Jamshidi et al, ; Patel and Moxham, ; Banerjee and Bancil, ; Kerby et al, ; Buckenham, ; Pais and Moxham, ).…”