Experiential anatomy comes to medicine from the dance and yoga communities, where it is used to help people better understand their own bodies through movement. Anatomy instruction is given in tandem with movement, such as dance or yoga. A model or fellow student performs the movement, and the instructor discusses muscle insertions or other pertinent anatomical features. This gives students a chance to see muscle movement in action and emphasizes the mind-body connection. It is often taught along with more traditional approaches, for students who wish to have a background in alternative as well as western medicine.
PowerPoint presentations allow professors to deliver data in the lecture setting and also distribute on the web. This method combines audio and visuals, including pictures and animations, and allows hyperlinking for further investigation if students want to read further. PowerPoints also can be printed as individual slides exported to a PDF file, so many professors now put their lecture materials on the web before the lecture, and students can either print and jot down notes or add them to the slides themselves.
Flash animation and other interactive online games give students the opportunity to see anatomy in motion or to see the workings of smaller features, such as cell organelles, without the aid of a microscope. The animations also add a dimension of color and depth that can be missing on a microscope slide. When the animation is a game, students can test out different conditions within the cell or anatomical system. Other interactive games have been touted as an alternative to traditional dissection.
Dissection is one of the most common ways that students learn about anatomy and physiology. It is not without controversy; some have objections to the chemicals used or the ethics of using dead animal and human bodies for medicine. Formaldehyde is the primary chemical that detractors complain about because of its toxicity. Some companies are now switching to Borealene II as a safer alternative. Ethical objections are also raised because while humans can consent to donating their bodies to science, animals cannot. These questions aside, dissection is a good way to see how tissues present in normal and abnormal ways in the body.