TEACHING OF VETERINARY ANATOMY, HISTOLOGY AND EMBRYOLOGY - REPORT ANDPROPOSALS FROM WORLDWIDE SURVEY

The international Committee on the Teaching of Veterinary Anatomy has made a survey about the present status, the needs and the perspectives of the teaching of the morphological sciences in the veterinary curri culum. A questionnaire (51 entries) has been sent to 125 morphologists , almost all members of the World Association of Veterinary Anatomists (W.A.V.A.), and belonging to 57 different countries. 33 answers have been registered, from 28 countries (participation 26 %, from 49 % of t he countries). Under a formal diversity in the responses, a strong ten dency raises, according to which general anatomy should be taught toge ther with applications, and students' memories should not be overloade d with too many descriptive facts. Morphologists seem to intervene mor e often during the clinical cycle of the curriculum, but this tendency finds its limits, with its recession in North America. The material a nd financial means have been cut down, as evidenced by the comparison with the past situation. The following proposals are formulated : to s tress principles rather than facts, to establish a syllabus of the ind ispensable anatomical concepts (the core of knowledge) by the Committe e, to use, wherever and whenever possible, a flexible pedagogy (projec ts, free time for self learning, video, computer, live anatomy), to de velop the participation of morphologists to coordinated/integrated opt ional/specialized teachings.