Key Point 

• No matter how many textbooks and photos massage therapists sift through, no experience can equate to seeing bodies and tissues in the dissection lab.

For most of us, learning anatomy starts with seeing. We build anatomy maps in our minds with images from atlases and books. We see as much as we can, memorize shapes and locations, systems and regions, and layer in more detail each time we look. Our mental maps guide our touch and shape what we perceive with our hands. Images are only 2D, however. And people aren’t flat. More complex than layered paper dolls, bodies possess height, width, and depth, leaving us with the job of translating the 2D images we learned into the 3D humans we touch. And that can be a big task. 

Thankfully, new, multidimensional ways to see the body are on the rise, and more opportunities are opening for massage therapists to enter the dissection lab and have the profound firsthand experience of learning from real, 3D human forms.

Let’s explore what can be gained from studying in the dissection lab and why you might want to consider adding this invaluable experience to your educational goals. Then, let’s look at some additional ways we can see how the body is organized. But first, let’s go back in time. How was anatomy mapped for us in the past?

Ways of Seeing Anatomy Through Time

In early recorded studies, human anatomy was described primarily through the written word. Schematics were sometimes included, but images were not common until the Renaissance, which ushered in a new era for both art and science. Anatomical illustrations made from woodcuts, followed by copper plate engravings, began appearing in medical texts, elevating education. In 1543, the great Renaissance anatomist Andreas Vesalius published a book that set the standard for all anatomical illustration that followed. Based on direct observation, the woodcut prints brought whole-body anatomy into view with an unprecedented level of artistry and accuracy. His images show reflected layers and carefully crafted windows that reveal different planes of tissue on cadavers that appear to be alive, standing in dramatic postures. Vesalius’s work provides a peek into the depths of human anatomy in a 2D format (Image 1).

Though medical illustration continued to grow and improve after Vesalius, the challenge of accurate anatomical representation still rests primarily on the shoulders of two individuals to educate the medical field: the dissector and the artist. Even if the image is a photograph, unless you are in the lab yourself, the only lens you can look through has been created by someone else who chose what to show, how to dissect it, and how to represent it. 

How Dissection Helps You See Anatomy in 3D

To this day, the maps we have made in our minds are almost entirely formed on someone else’s depiction. The experience of witnessing the revelation of real human tissues in the dissection lab changes the way you see anatomy in its fullness. And, seeing differently means understanding differently, which affects the way we touch. 

Studying in the Lab Adds Depth

Beyond the measurements of length and width, the donor forms we meet in the lab have the dimension of depth, like the clients on your table. Because they already are 3D, it doesn’t require translation, unlike 2D images from a book, and that makes a huge difference. When seeing the structures of the human body in person, the sense of volume is crystal clear, not to mention the 360-degree view that lets you see everything from all sides.

Human Cadaver Anatomy Is to Scale

It might seem obvious to say human cadavers are to scale, but many students find things are much bigger or smaller than they expected. For example, they are surprised by the girth of the sciatic nerve and the aorta. We hear them say things like, “I knew the aorta was a large vessel, but wow!” And once we get down to the muscle layer, it really impacts students when they realize how thin muscles can be.

Anatomical Variation

Working in the dissection lab helps you understand your clients better because of the anatomical variation you see there. Every donor we learn from is a real body that had a real life filled with real activities that made them unique. Like the clients on your massage table, they are formed differently based on multiple factors. So, instead of having your anatomy knowledge based on the drawings or likeness of one body (who we can call the anatomical man or woman) you get to see different representations that are instantly mind-expanding.

Seeing the Stuff That’s Missing

When we study in the lab, we see everything, including all the in-between stuff that’s missing from our books and apps. We see what anatomy looks like before connective tissues are cleared away to reveal their more famous cousins. We take for granted that what we see in a photo, drawing, or 3D graphic is all there is. But, in reality, to see all those perfectly separate organs, muscles, nerves, or blood vessels means a whole bunch of stuff was removed. 

New Ways to See Anatomy

Modern medical illustrations have continued to improve over time, with increased detail and better accuracy. They are often accompanied by additional learning tools like labels and color coding. Beyond the expected illustrations that have supported anatomy learning for generations, more ways to see anatomy have emerged to expand our view. Innovative anatomy apps for our digital devices come with features like zooming, rotating, and removing, which can help our 3D perceptions. Though used primarily for diagnostics, we can learn a lot from imaging advancements in research and medicine—like X-rays and mammograms—that help us see through the body’s 3D architecture. MRIs, CT scans, PET scans, and ultrasounds show the body in cross-section, which helps inform us how everything fits together. Zooming in on the micro world, stained tissues in histology slides and electron microscope images form a bridge into physiology, helping us understand how things work. Plastinated, whole-body dissections found in the Body Worlds museums provide three-dimensional, real anatomy for us to study up close and outside of the dissection lab. Much can be learned by watching dissection videos that are becoming more available across disciplines (Images 2A–2D). 

Keep Your Mind Maps Growing

Whether from books, apps, medical images, models, or the dissection lab, learning anatomy is an essential part of our massage education and a lifelong learning pursuit that grows with us throughout our careers. The more ways we see the body, the better our grasp is on its organization. Our advice: Expose yourself to as many views of anatomy as you can find. Fall in love with the patterns and shapes you see. Draw them, trace them, and memorize the curves and folds. You will find an endless world of adventure and beauty that will make you a better therapist. 

Resource

Vesalius, Andreas. De Humani Corporis Fabrica. Tubingae: Per Ulricum Morhardum, 1551.