Anatomy app for medical students on the move

Gone are the days when medical students had to share dusty, well-thumbed anatomy text books to swot up on diagrams and photographs of odd-looking pieces of lung or muscle tissue. Now, would-be doctors can be part of a virtual classroom thanks to a newly launched iPhone app developed by the University of Warwick.

Professor of Clinical Anatomy at Warwick Medical School, Peter Abrahams, has turned his teaching into bite-size anatomy classes which can be downloaded and used by medical students world-wide and not restricted to those lucky enough to attend his lectures.

The new app, entitled Aspects of Anatomy, provides 38 short teaching videos using real, plastinated prosections of the lungs, thorax and the arm, from shoulder to hand. You can watch how the professor teaches and demonstrates the function of nerves, tiny twig-like bronchioles or heart valves which very effectively bring medical theory to life. Students can even check progress on their learning by completing the short spot check tests also part of the app.