“To Treat Sickness Without Understanding the Internal Organs is no Better Than a Blind Man Groping in the Dark”

Abstract

In this Special Issue of Clinical Anatomy, we focus on the anatomy salient to the very young and the aging. Often, anatomists forget that the anatomy seen in the pediatric and geriatric populations can be unique. Although this is obviously a very large subject, the guest editors, Drs. Watanabe and Asagiri from Kurume University in Japan, have put together a smattering of clinically based topics that will give the reader insight into the body of the pediatric and geriatric populations and their anatomy. As Wang Qingren (1768–1831) stated, “To treat sickness without understanding the internal organs is no better than a blind man groping in the dark” (Shoja et al., 2010). In addition to the content of the Special Issue, additional topics include the ethics of anatomy and two papers on the dangers of the anatomy laboratory in regard to mycobacterium tuberculosis and formaldehyde exposure. Finally, an over two year study on developing a core curriculum for the teaching of anatomy to medical students and headed by Professor Bernard Moxham, the current President of the International Federation of Anatomists, is presented.