Surface anatomy as a relevant tool in contemporary medical education and clinical practice

Abstract

The study of human surface anatomy is largely descriptive with interest on the form, proportions of the human body, and the surface landmarks which correspond to deeper structures hidden from view, both in static pose and in motion. From the point of view of first principles in establishing diagnoses and planning appropriate treatment, it is difficult to divest anatomy from clinical medicine. The advent of contemporary, modern and state of the arts diagnostic aids appears to be eroding the relationship between surface anatomy and the teaching and practice of clinical medicine. The aim of this work is to re-emphasize the role of surface anatomy in the teaching and practice of clinical medicine. This is especially relevant at a time like this, when state of the arts imaging techniques seem to be making clinical skills acquisition and demonstration unpopular. A systematic review of the literature on the subject of surface anatomy as it relates to clinical medicine was done. Perspectives on surface anatomy in relation to the teaching and practice of clinical medicine were extracted and presented.