For medical students, the teaching of hand anatomy is usually conducted in the first year of medical school as part of the gross anatomy course. Students of other disciplines such as engineering, anthropology, arts, etc. study hand anatomy as an elective and emphasize different aspects of this complex structure.

In the medical curriculum, teaching of hand anatomy is an introduction to the topic with lectures and dissection; this basic knowledge often needs augmentation in the latter clinical years of medical school and beyond. We hypothesize that supplemental teaching at the first year level utilizing high-resolution stereoscopic images and three dimensional computer models would enrich the initial learning experience. In addition, this resource could also provide a method for continuing medical education and live-long learning. Conceptualizing and integrating basic structural and functional aspects of the hand would be a significant advantage in the understanding of clinical cases.

We present a series of 'Information Frames' which are media rich and annotated. In order to view stereoscopic images and use haptics, special hardware and software is needed. Plug-ins may be required to interact with some of the content; prompts will guide the user.

Please visit our 'Dissection Movies'