The public is as ignorant now of anatomy as they were 40 years ago, research has shown.  So it is timely that Channel 4 and the Wellcome Collection are working to engage them through an innovative television series and exhibition of Victorian wax anatomical models.

Ignorance or bliss

Professor John Weinman of King's College London repeated a survey first conducted and published in 19701,2.  `Surprisingly, we found that that overall levels of anatomical knowledge had not changed at all since 1970.  Most of the patient groups we looked at didn't have a clearer idea of where their affected organ was than the general public,' he told People & Science. 

'Some of my colleagues think it's dreadful,' he continued, `but why would you expect people to have detailed anatomical knowledge?' He does think it's important, however:  `We know that if doctors and patients do use the same language, and have shared knowledge, patients are much more satisfied.  Doctors must not assume that patients know where their organs are.' 

Live surgery

It seems that the public does want to know more about how the human body works.  The recent Channel 4 series The Operation: Surgery Live attracted over a million viewers, according to Mr Francis Wells, the consultant heart surgeon who organised the series.  In each of the four live broadcast programmes, a different surgeon performed a different operation, at the same time answering questions from members of the public.

 `I wanted to make the public aware of the fragility – and beauty - of the human body.  Inside the body is enormously colourful and hardly anybody is aware of that,' Francis Wells told People & Science. `I also hoped the series would inspire people to become surgeons and show that the most important person in the operating theatre is the patient.  There's no doubt we met our objectives,' he continued: `[The volume of traffic to our group] closed down Facebook and we were the biggest site ever on twitter.'

A model history

Wellcome Collection hosted a live studio audience for the programmes but is also staging an exhibition of historical anatomical models.  `So-called “anatomical Venuses” were wax models of women that could be taken apart to show their internal organs, often complete with a foetus.  They were used by teachers of anatomy but were also fairground attractions, educating large numbers of the public,' said Kate Forde, one of the curators of the exhibition. 

Information on The Operation: Surgery Live is available at www.channel4.com.  The `Exquisite bodies' exhibition is free and open until 18 October. More details are available from  www.wellcomecollection.org

¹ Weinman J (2009), How accurate is patients’ knowledge: a cross-sectional, questionnaire study of six patient groups and a general public sample, BMC Family Practice 10, 43

² Boyle CM (1970), Differences between patients' and doctors' interpretation of some common medical terms, BMJ 1, 286