Fascinating history of anatomy education to be told in free University inaugural lecture
The history of how scientists and doctors have understood and used the human body as a teaching tool over the centuries will be told at a free University of Chester lecture.
Professor Lauren Fisher will be giving her inaugural lecture at the School of Education on the Exton Park campus, titled ‘From body snatchers to human plastination: Anatomy education through the ages’, on Wednesday, May 14.
The Professor of Anatomy at Chester Medical School will detail how anatomy education dates back centuries to the ancient Greeks and Herophilus, the so-called ‘father of anatomy’.
As scientists and doctors wanted to better understand the workings and structure of the human body in relation to illness during the 13th and early 14th centuries, anatomists found themselves battling against religious and legal consideration. This contrasted with the later resurgence of dissection in the form of public events, aimed at educating the general public and demystifying the process, and the current preoccupation with augmented and virtual reality. Over the years, it can be seen how the fascination with the human body extends far beyond the practice of medicine.
This lecture explores the role of anatomy and dissection as a teaching tool and its evolution through the ages, from the challenges of cadaver procurement and ‘body snatching’ in the 18th and 19th centuries, when full body dissection was the primary way in which medical students learned about the body, to contemporary medical education which focuses on all scientific knowledge and understanding being ‘clinically relevant’ and the increased use of technologies.
Attendees can see and hear about how ‘applied’ anatomy education is provided, including the use of 3D virtual dissection and 3D printing, and the use of plastinated specimens and radiological imaging.
The lecture takes place from 6.30-8pm on Wednesday, May 14, with tea and coffee served in the School of Education Foyer from 6pm.
Places are free but must be booked for, in person or online. For more information or queries, please email events@chester.ac.uk.
The lecture is part of the University’s Inaugural Lecture Series. For more information on University events, visit https://www.chester.ac.uk/about/events.