Anatomy of errors in anatomical illustrations

Medical illustrators must possess and extensive and proficient understanding of the anatomy. Throughout history, anatomical information has been conveyed from teacher to student through visual media. This is particularly true in countries where cadavers are not available for dissection. In such cases, anatomical illustrations provide students the sole point of access to internal structure of the human body. Unfortunately, atlas illustrations sometimes misrepresent anatomical information. The explanations for such inaccuracies are numerous. First, some medical illustrators do not possess sufficient understanding of anatomical details. Second, illustrators may pay more attention to the artistic features of their illustrations than to their anatomic accuracy. Finally, and most importantly, medical illustrators often use existing illustrations as resources rather than drawing on observations from actual dissections. This practice propagates errors through generations. Anatomy education can be considered the foundation of medical sciences. Therefore, visual materials must be prepared with painstaking accuracy. Anatomists need to assume responsibility for collaborating illustrators, in order that the mistakes of history may be rectified.