school, though I learned and remembered enough of it to
pass the exams. When I actually started working, that's
when I learned clinically relevant anatomy to what I was
doing, and much more in depth at the same time.
For example as an orthopaedic SHO it's quite useful to
know the anatomy of the rotator cuff, which tendons and
nerves are likely to be severed if someone flies with arm
outstretched through a sheet of plate glass, and which
ones you can use to replace Tendo Achilles if necessary.
As an anaesthetist there are certain areas which one
needs to pay attention to as well. Actually, seeing as we
are (as someone put it on a forum recently), the "last
true generalists" we probably need to know most anatomy,
but that's beside the point for the purposes of this blog.
The areas of particular interest are cranial nerves,
sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, triangles
of the neck, epidural and spinal anatomy, paravertebral,
costal/intercostal/diaphragmatic anatomy, anatomy of the
airway including lungs, femoral triangle, cervical, lumbar
and sacral nerve plexi (or should that be plexuses?),
anywhere where a nerve runs that we can stick a needle,
and of course vascular anatomy...
Erm...quite a lot then.
Quite frankly I personally can't be bothered to go back to
the anatomy books to start from scratch about learning all
this stuff, but we have discovered a former urology
surgeon who now teaches anatomy at Cambridge has
co-authored a book which some of you may have seen at
college. Instant anatomy is a fantastic little book, full of simple
diagrams and lists. Even better than this, though, is the
website, which is cheaper (read free), but also provides
the opportunity to buy a CD-ROM, a snip at £17.99. Full of diagrams, podcasts
and PowerPoint presentations, we've found it an invaluable
aid in our...revision (ahem). Simply pop it in your
computer, get out your popcorn/pizza/wild boar and venison
sausages and chianti/Tamatar Dal (that's Dal with
tomatoes, apparently best done with Urad Dal, which I
haven't tried) and salad, click, sit back and relax as you
absorb the information in your own personal lecture.
PS: Sadly I get no commission for encouraging anyone to
buy it, but it really is a good CD...
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