What's on the web?

The Bartleby edition of Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body is a free online version of the original hardback by Henry Gray (www.bartleby.com/107). It includes an index of 12 chapters, 1200 pictures, and more than 12,000 entries on every possible topic, from embryology to surface landmarks. The layout is intuitive and easy to use, and you can search by either keyword or topic. The only downside is that it is based on the 20th edition, last revised in 2000.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/wnor/lesson1.htm

If you are after a lot of interactive content and videos, try the University of Michigan's Anatomy Learning Resources (http://anatomy.med.umich.edu). The anatomy tables list all key body structures, with essential information on each structure, and are great for revision. You can also view video of dissections and play learning games, such as "Who wants to be a millionaire doctor?" The many anatomical puzzles ask you to explain clinical cases based on a history.

The Florida State University College of Medicine has a big anatomy database (http://library.med.utah.edu/WebPath/webpath.html). It includes more than 1900 images, along with text, tutorials, laboratory exercises, and examination items for self assessment. One good tool is the case of the week, where you have to identify a disease process by looking at an image.

The anatomy atlases database (www.anatomyatlases.org) has an extensive encyclopedia, complete with images and videos, and a unique section on the anatomy of first aid. This shows how anatomy can be applied to emergency cases, such as in dealing with amputations, burns, and wounds. The entire database is searchable.

For more information about anatomy have a look at the Anatomical Society's website, which is a forum for people interested in research in the anatomical sciences (www.anatsoc.org.uk). The site includes a large list of educational websites aimed at medical students, including websites for all the anatomy departments in British and American universities.

The Loyola University Medical Education Network (www.lumen.luc.edu/lumen/meded/grossanatomy) was designed with medical students in mind. Under the Resources tab on the home page are several useful tools. In the "Cross sectional anatomy" section you can find a hoard of images, real photographs and computed tomograms, subdivided by region (head and neck, thorax, lower limbs, and so on). Another useful tool is in the "Learn 'em" section, which contains galleries of all the muscles, nerves and dermatomes, arteries, and bones in the body.

The Anatomy Lesson (http://mywebpages.comcast.net/wnor/homepage.htm) is a beautifully laid out website. Taking a regional approach to anatomy, it covers everything from landmarks to lymph nodes and everything in between. The pictures and photographs that accompany the text make this an excellent learning resource. Some useful practice examinations are also available, so you can see how much you have learnt.

       

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