The Benefits of Drawi
Rebecca Moug, Bachelo
Introduction
Benefits of Drawing to Study Anatomy
Since the 16th century, diagrams and drawings of human anatomy and physiology have been used to demonstrate the function of body systems and their associated structures. Drawing and studying diagrams substantially increases memory retention and recall1, while increasing confident engagement and interactivity of anatomical concepts, compared to simply reading and writing2. The following will discuss the history of anatomical study in greater detail, the performance and relational benefits of using drawing to study anatomy, and how visual art has paved the way for technological advances in the health care field.
Increased Memory Retention • Drawing integrates kinesthetic and pictorial processing1 • The episodic memory of an elderly sample was comparable to that of young adults, after participants were instructed to recall words of objects they had drawn1 • Drawing anatomical diagrams helps students conceptualize threedimensional features that are learned through cadaver dissection2 • Using visual arts in anatomical study enhances acquisition and longterm retention of knowledge5
History of Anatomical Study 2nd Century: Anatomical study begins. Loose theories of anatomy based on animal dissection dominate the field. 16th Century: The Renaissance period invites artists like Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci to bring anatomy into a mainstream culture3 17th Century: Anatomy theatres provide knowledge to the public through live dissections, demonstrating an integration of art and science4
Increased Student Engagement • Applying visually artistic methods to anatomical study serves the benefit of joyful engagement5 • Employing artistic methods may have an advantage in developing interpersonal skills, like communication and empathy6 A multi-dimensional approach to learning is created, thereby increasing student engagement and potential aiding those studying in healthcare fields to be more relational in their practice. 10
Today: Anatomical study reserved almost exclusively to post-secondary institutions and research hospitals.4
Self-Rated knowledge of anatomy (out of 10)
19th Century: Anatomy becomes a true science4. Public dissections are discontinued, excluding the public once again from engaging with the study.
Mean Score on SBA (out of 12)
12
10
8
6
4
2
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
0
Pre-Workshop
Post-Workshop
Pre-Workshop
Post-Workshop
Figure 2. Representation of Backhouse et al.’s (2016) results comparing the mean test scores and self-rated knowledge of anatomy before and after hosting a drawing workshop for a sample of medical students.
Figure 1. Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Vitruvian Man’ (1490) Icon credit: Freepik
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Figure 3. Leonardo da Vinci’s drawing of the human arm bones. Wikipedia.