The Eyes Have It

A project of the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, the Visible Human Server offers:

“a virtual anatomic construction kit on the web using the Visible Human dataset. The applets available on this site provide the following features:

• Extract slices, curved surfaces, and slice animations from both datasets (male and female)
• Interactively navigate by slicing through the male dataset in real-time
• Construct 3D anatomical scenes using combinations of slices and 3D models of internal structures from the male dataset, and extract 3D animations
• Add voice comments to video sequences generated using the applets“

The site includes a discussion forum and one user shares how these tools allowed him to see anatomy in a way other methods couldn’t:

“I have been lying awake, trying to visualise an orbital fracture a patient has, but no success. I’ve checked Grant’s Atlas and a textbook of sectional anatomy, but no success – I still can’t get a feel for it. After having a midnight snack and thinking there must be something on the internet, I found this site. 1 hour later, having fiddled with the applet – HURRAH ! I now know exactly where it is and have a better appreciation for the anatomy of the area.“