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One goal of a medical school education is to teach the anatomy of the living human. With the exception of some surface anatomy, the morphology education that goes on during a surgical procedure, and patient observation, live human anatomy is most often taught by simulation. Medical anatomy courses utilize cadavers to approximate the live human. Case-based curricula simulate a patient and present symptoms, signs, and history to mimic reality for the future practitioner. Radiology has provided images of the morphology, function, and metabolism of living humans but with images foreign to most novice observers. With the Visible Human database, computer simulation of the live human body will provide revolutionary transformations in anatomical education.

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The National Library of Medicine (NLM) has long been a world leader in the archiving and distribution of the print-based images of biology and medicine. NLM has also been a pioneer in the use of computer systems to encode and distribute textual knowledge of the life sciences. NLM's Long Range Planning effort of 1985-86 foresaw a coming era where NLM's bibliographic and factual database services would be complemented by libraries of digital images, distributed over high speed computer networks and by high capacity physical media. The NLM Planning Panel on Electronic Imaging recommended that NLM should undertake the building of a digital image library consisting of computer-assisted tomography (CAT), magnetic resonance interferometry (MRI), and cryosection images of a representative, carefully selected and prepared male and female cadaver--the "Visible Human Project." The male Visible Human data set is now being made available through a license agreement with the NLM. A wide range of educational, diagnostic, treatment planning, and commercial uses is predicted. The Visible Human data set and its associated identification maps will serve as a "Boston Teapot" for medical imaging, a common public domain data set against which all medical imaging algorithms can be tested, and a cornerstone for future sets of related image libraries.

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The rate and course of axoplasmic transport from the eighth dorsal root ganglion cell bodies into the sciatic nerve of the toad Bufo marinus were studied. Concentrated tritiated proline was hydraulically injected into a surgically exposed dorsal root ganglion of animals maintained at 19 +/- 0.5 degrees C. At postinjection intervals of 1, 6, and 10 h, the animals were sacrificed and the dorsal root, ganglion, and sciatic nerve were removed bilaterally. The dorsal roots and peripheral nerves were cut into 3 mm segments measured from the ganglion. In some experiments all tissues were prepared for liquid scintillation counting techniques. In others the ganglion and every fifth 3 mm nerve segment were fixed in Bouin's fixative for radioautography, and the remaining tissue segments were prepared for liquid scintillation counting methods. Scintillation counts (counts/min) of consecutive segments along the labeled nerve were plotted against distance (mm) for each animal. Examination of these profiles showed a peak of radioactivity in the injected ganglion for each animal that was followed distally by an abrupt drop in the adjacent segments of the nerve. Radioactivity remained relatively stable in subsequent segments forming a plateau and then dropped to baseline levels forming a wavefront in the distal portion of the peripheral nerves of the 6 and 10 h toads. Movement of this wavefront during the 6 to 10 h time interval provided evidence for an axoplasmic flow rate of about 120 mm/day. Radioautographs of the ganglion and representative segments along the sciatic nerve were examined with both bright- and dark-field microscopy. Accumulations of silver grains were observed overlying the injected ganglion cell bodies and labeled axons of the nerve. Values for the number of silver grains/unit area were obtained from dark-field radioautographs of the nerve segments through the use of a computer-microscope system. The relative amount of radioactivity present in the axons was thereby demonstrated. Radioautographic data confirmed the axoplasmic flow rate of about 120 mm/day determined by liquid scintillation counting methods for the bulk of radioactive materials transported at this fast rate. In addition, the evaluation of radioautographic data suggests that an even faster flow rate of 185-215 mm/day may exist for a small portion of the labeled materials transported in the axon.

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In response to the continuing pressures facing anatomy and other basic sciences in medical education, the Department of Anatomy at the University of Colorado School of Medicine has instituted a parallel two-course system of teaching gross anatomy. Students in both the longer and shorter of the two courses appear to be prepared adequately by their experiences in the courses they elected. Statistically significant differences (students in the longer course scoring higher) were, however, observed on both departmental examinations and certain national examinations administered subsequent to the completion of the courses. Student responses to both courses were extremely favorable. Since the differences between the two groups were generally small and advantages were noted in presenting two courses simultaneously, it is concluded that the concurrent presentation of two differently organized basic science courses (within a single subject area) offers an effective response to the instructional needs of our medical school and medical students.

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