Virtual Anatomy is the new way to look inside a human body without
any invasive procedures. 3D glasses and
technology are being used in Medical Schools to teach would be doctors about
human anatomy through the use of virtual humans. According to Natasha Singer of New York Times
“…the dead are imperfect stand-ins for the living. Death – and embalming fluid – take a toll. So, in an adjacent
classroom, a group of students wearing 3-D glasses made by Nvidia…dissected a
virtual cadaver projected on a screen.” Basically
saying that death destroys some of the essential organs, if you have been
studying damaged bodies knowing what a perfectly functioning body would look
like is hard.
The use of the study of virtual cadavers is being applied in
other ways also threw the use of virtual autopsies. These virtual autopsies are being used to
uncover clues in murder cases. It is
believed that these virtual autopsies are better than using a scalpel.
When using a scalpel you can compromise the integrity of the
cadaver. According to Eric Bland of
discovery news this form of autopsy is more humane he says “A real autopsy is a grim
process. The body is laid face-up on a steel table. A forensic expert, usually
a pathologist, makes a Y-shaped incision, down the chest and under each side of
the rib cage. The skull is sawed off, exposing the brain. Each organ is removed
and weighed, any surface injuries are recorded, and any foreign objects, such
as bullets, are removed and saved as evidence.”
These digital autopsies also can help with the convictions
of murderers because virtual cadavers do not decay. The virtual body is never touched and thus
never compromised. These digital
autopsies are performed first by taking a scan of the body using radiation to
basically make the organs and systems glow.
The radiation amount isn’t important because the person is already
dead. And according again to Eric Bland “In
less than 15 minutes the real body becomes a virtual body made up from six
gigabits worth of information…[and] with a few finger flicks, a radiologist and
a pathologist, working together, can instantly strip away skin and flesh to
reveal broken bones or enlarge the arteries to measure plaque buildup.”
The virtual autopsies can also be used like virtual cadavers
to help medical students learn more about the human body by dissecting it. Virtual autopsies have yet to take full
effect but with how technology is moving it’s only a matter of time before all
medical schools and all autopsies are done this way.
the video below is an example of a virtual autopsy.