About two years ago a (not quite accurate) model of the “female muscle system” and “milk ducts” went viral all over social media. And even though not accurate, the discussion that emerged was an important one. People started to wonder: How come I’ve never seen this before? In order to address this lack of representation of female anatomy, research publisher Elsevier has now released the most advances 3D full female model as part of its latest addition to its 3D platform Complete Anatomy.
This marks the first time that a female model has been built with this level of detail in its entirety, to represent the female — versus replacing specific areas of the male anatomy with female features. The solution allows educators to visualize, edit and teach anatomy entirely from the female perspective for the first time, all in realistic 3D detail.
The launch signifies a major milestone in equal representation by preparing medical, nursing and allied health students with the most complete understanding of the female anatomy. Historically, the full female anatomy has been underrepresented in the study of the human body. Now, educators can choose the sex with which they’d like to teach their full curriculum, in addition to having the option of switching between male and female anatomies to teach comparative differences in sex-specific regions of the body. The Complete Anatomy female model provides educators with a more comprehensive teaching approach that allows them to switch seamlessly between teaching both female and male anatomy.
The Complete Anatomy female model includes the full skeletal system, accurate portrayal of muscles, visually detailed female-specific regions, and comparative functionality
Elizabeth Munn, Managing Director, Global Medical Education, Elsevier, said: “As an advocate for content that is diverse and inclusive, we are thrilled to offer this groundbreaking full female model to allow educators to teach anatomy in an equal and comprehensive way. Complete Anatomy is continuing Elsevier’s rich heritage of innovation in education by delivering on our vision of providing transformative medical education solutions. We are proud to take this step forward in addressing gender bias and believe Complete Anatomy’s female model will have a tremendous impact on the educational experience of medical students worldwide as well as on the outcomes of patients they treat in the future.”
Lead subject matter expert on the update Yasmin Carter, PhD, Assistant Professor of Translational Anatomy at the UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA said: “One of the inherent dangers in using only the male body as ‘anatomical normal’ and the female body as a variation, is perpetuating sexist attitudes. This unconscious bias will be carried by learners into their future interactions with the body, including potentially with patients. Complete Anatomy is creating a platform of representation that is diverse, balanced, and most importantly, accurate. By giving educators the option to choose the female body as the basis for their students’ education, Elsevier is helping evolve equitable teaching practices by normalizing the female body. Complete Anatomy’s female model will support me in training the next generation of medical professionals to be more appropriate and inclusive.”
