We’ve developed an online medical education platform delivering high quality lectures and study materials for medical students and doctors. We are working diligently to push the envelope in surgical education.
‘Black Holes’ is a free 6-month virtual Neuroanatomy lecture series. The course covers the MRCS neuroanatomy curriculum and also integrates wider content and peer-reviewed journals. Founder Dr. Jamal Ross , explains that anatomy textbooks do not always give a real understanding of spatial relationships.
What is ‘Black Holes’?
Black holes is a neuroanatomy lecture series and a virtual reconceptualisation of an anatomy course that I taught using cadavers . It has now evolved into a company producing high-precision 3D reconstructions.
I distinctly remember the overwhelming smell of formaldehyde, which is commonly used to preserve cadavers for dissections. Formaldehyde is a really pungent gas that can have detrimental effects on the body so I’ve always felt that there must be a safer and better way. The ongoing pandemic has really crystallised some ideas I’ve had around the future of medical education.There are advantages and disadvantages to both scenarios but I believe distance learning is here to stay.
Dr. William Erl Demyer said “ if you can’t draw it, you don’t know it”. This really stuck with me and I started experimenting with drawing structures in 3D . Its a really huge learning curve, even for someone that understands the anatomy in 2D. Thats when I realised the immense value in this experiment, because it was so difficult. If you can draw the circle of willis in 3D space then it starts to get really interesting. Most students will only be familiar with these structures in the xy plane because of conventional textbooks.
Understading the tortuousity of the internal carotid artery, for example, and appreciating that in 3 dimensions opens up new ways of learning that translates better to the operative realm.
3D printing is such an amazing technology for prototyping and getting ideas into the real world. I started experimenting by printing CT scans and modifying them to design pathological specimen. In my opinion, it’s one of the most effective ways to communicate with students. Using augmented reality and superimposing that on a physical 3D model creates a kind of ‘Mixed reality’ that is unlike anything i’ve ever tried.
