Teaching heart function: one application of medical computer animation

Medicine has developed current methods of teaching heart function over several centuries. There have been few fundamental changes in these teaching techniques over the last several decades. The method of text study followed by laboratory activity is essentially the same for both undergraduate and medical school students. For the latter, a more comprehensive study of experimental animals is involved, and surgical procedures are observed on patients. Once in medical school, almost all teaching is by demonstration, with a very small number of students per instructor.