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My first year 2003/04 - Anatomy, Histology and Embryology
My anatomy professor was professor Köves Katalin and I was in the 2nd Department of Anatomy.
I remember entering the anatomy lab on our very first day. The room was empty, except for two large glass cabinets with human bones, and various organs in liquid glass containers.
We all sat down on stools and Professor Köves handed us a scapula (shoulder blade) and a clavicula
(clavicle). We looked at them and after a while one of the students raised his hand - 'are all these from real humans?'
Professor Köves looked at him and shrugged her shoulders - 'but of course...you are going to learn human anatomy. We only use parts from real human bodies' - and then she smiled.
The cadavers (human bodies) at Semmelweis are donated by people with an understanding that hands on experience is the only proper way to train a physician. You can memorize Netter, Sobotta, Moore, Grey's, Rohen/Yokochi and all the other great Anatomy books out there, but unless you have actually navigated your way through the human body, there is no way you will be able to find your way during an autopsy. Let alone a surgical procedure!
Anatomy is a two-year subject (four semesters)
The first three semesters will cover Locomotor System (bones and muscles), Nervous System, and Internal Organs - each given one semester. Then the fourth semester will be a mix of everything and more clinically related things, along with cross sections etc.
At the end of your second year, you will have one big exam covering all four semesters.
If you want to become a surgeon you have to know your anatomy - down to the finest details!
There is no hocus-pocus to anatomy. You need to memorize, memorize, memorize!
Histology and Embryology are two integrated parts in the Anatomy curriculum. Histology deals with the study of anatomy on a microscopic level. This is sometimes hard to grasp for students, because 'everything looks the same in the microscope'!
The clue is to first identify what you are looking at and then you have to have the theoretical knowledge to understand what you are expected to find.
For example: The liver is fairly easy to recognize. Any second year student should immidiately say 'this is the liver!' when they are shown one in the microscope. Just recognizing the origin of the slide doesn't give you a passing mark, though. You need to know what you are expected to find there, and actually finding those structures!
Here's an example of the types of questions we got on the Histology midterm
Embryology deals with the development of the human being. From the simple germ cell to the complex fetus.
Again, no hocus-pocus, just read the book and start memorizing.
I believe that the main reason why Histology and Embryology can be hard to grasp is that they are fairly abstract, compared to gross anatomy. In the human body you can hold a muscle in your hand and follow it from origin to insertion.
There is only one angle to look at a slide in the microscope.
Also, with Neuroanatomy/Nervous System, there are many things the student has to visualize in his or her mind, because they can simply not be shown in a human body. How electrical impulses travels from the brain all the way to your foot, where the brain can make you wiggle your toes, is an example of what the student has to grasp without hands-on experience.
All in all, Anatomy is an awesome subject, although I fully understand that most students are sick and tired of hearing about muscles, nerves and vessels after a long exam period:-)
