Virtual Autopsy
I’ve had a really nasty cold for the last seven days. My voice has been gone most of that time but it’s getting better by the day and my spirits must be up because I was up and about early this morning even before I’d had my usual cup of coffee.
So, my addition to the wunderkammen today… a few virtual autopsy and anatomy links. Starting with Ajay Mark Verma’s Virtual Autopsy. It’s a site that’s been around since 2001 (and it shows, admittedly) but is still really interesting. I’ve been playing around with it all day. You can click on a case, read a brief synopsis and then click on the parts of the interactive cadaver to see pictures and more detail. Then you get to guess the cause of death. It’s not terribly gory but if you have a problem looking at isolated organs you might want to skip clicking the cadaver. I’m someone who wishes on a regular basis that I could visit the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Baltimore so I could spend some time with Frances Glessner Lee’s Nutshell Dioramas so it doesn’t bother me at all.
(Of course I would also visit my family — who not so incidentally run a funeral home — if I were in Baltimore. Of course.)
Then there’s the UK Channel 4’s Autopsy: Life and Death website which features transcripts of chats with Dr. Gunther von Hagen (who travels with his preserved anatomical specimens exhibit, Body Worlds around the world) and an Attempt an Autopsy page. Unfortunately, the torrent for the shows seems to be orphaned but it’s still a great page, especially the resources links.
Finally, an illustrated anatomy guide from MyHealthScore.com. It’s not a complete guide to the inner workings of the body, but it does more than cover the basics and it’s a good primer.