I’m Yourik, a Belgian anatomist who, like many, stands on the shoulders of giants. One of them is Andreas Vesalius, the revolutionary 16th-century physician who dared to look beyond dogma and cut into truth, quite literally. His courage to question established knowledge inspires me still. In sharing this reflection, I want to show how anatomy education has evolved, how tools like Enatom help bring it to life, and why sparking curiosity may be our greatest teaching tool.
Enatom: Connecting Anatomy with Practice
To support this shift, I use Enatom, a smart dissection platform that blends 3D models, annotated VR content, and 2D images. It helps students explore before they enter the dissection room. This way, class time becomes more interactive and focused on applying knowledge rather than discovering it for the first time. One feature students particularly appreciate is the real-time chat support, which allows them to check structures and concepts as they work. It’s like having a mini-anatomist on standby.
Curiosity First
Anatomy, to me, is not about memorization, it’s about curiosity. I know a class is successful when students begin asking deeper questions: “Could this nerve variation explain symptoms in some patients?” or “What happens when this structure fails?”.
One student recently noticed a rare course of the sciatic nerve. That single observation sparked a rich discussion on clinical symptoms that wouldn’t show up on a scan. That’s what anatomy can do, it bridges textbook knowledge with real-life uncertainty.
Continuing Vesalius’ Legacy
Vesalius taught us that true understanding begins at the source, the body itself. My role, centuries later, is to keep that tradition alive, using modern tools to help students not only know anatomy, but truly understand why it matters in medicine.
Let’s keep looking deeper.