Heart Sounds Tutorial

Another free site with wonderful examples of various normal and abnormal heart sounds with matching physiological explanations. The animations are basic but clear. There is also a testing mode to make sure that you got it. Good revision for Year 3 to 5 students.

Testing, Testing, One, Two, Three...

You should by now be testing yourselves regularly to make sure that the material you are covering is moving from short-term to long-term memory. This website will help you do that by asking you to match structures to their name, and then label them yourself. Fifteen minutes each day should do the trick. Try it!

Aphorism

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."

- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

A Court Case

No, don't worry, I have not been taken to jail. Take a look here though and you will find a tongue in cheek argument between the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. Rather fun way to learn. Enjoy!

Learn the Blood Supply of the Brain

This website looks primitive but it's a great way to revise the blood supply of the brain and spinal cord. I particularly liked the quiz mode. Try it out and let me know what you think.

Eye Simulator

This website is a great way to revise the movements of the eyes and test yourself on cranial nerve lesions. Rather clunky, but it works, provided you have Shockwave installed.

Medical Mnemonics

Generally speaking, I'm not very keen on mnemonics, as I find them rather difficult to remember (unless I think them up myself). This is very much the case with most of the ones on this website kindly pointed out to me by Stefan (Year 2 Medicine). There are a few good ones though and here are my favourites for Neuro and Head and Neck:

ObliqLiques cause lateral rotation of eyeball.

Action of the obliques is opposite to their names. Action of the rectii is rightly fitting to their names.
Both superiors cause intorsion and both inferiors cause extorsion.

Geniculate bodies: paired to respective colliculi SLIM:
Superior colliculi: Lateral geniculate body.
Inferior colliculi: Medial geniculate body.

Geniculate bodies: medial vs. lateral system MALE:
Medial=Auditory. Lateral=Eye.
Medial geniculate body is for auditory system, lateral geniculate body is for visual system.

Spinal tracts: Gracilus vs. Cuneatus: origin from upper vs. lower limbs Gracilus is the name of a muscle in the legs, so Fasciculus Gracilus is for the lower limbs.

Precentral vs. postcentral gyrus: motor vs. sensory Just an extension of the rule that anterior = ventral = efferent = motor.
The precentral gyrus is on the anterior side of the brain, so is therefore motor.

Olivary nuclei: ear vs. eye roles Superior Olivary nucleus: SOund localization.
· Inferior olivary nucleus is therefore the one for sight [tactile, proprioception also].

Pterygoid muscles: function of lateral vs. medial "Look at how your jaw ends up when saying first syllable of 'Lateral' or 'Medial' ":
"La": your jaw is now open, so Lateral opens mouth.
"Me": your jaw is still closed, so medial closes the mandible.

Bifurcation vertebral landmarks · A bifurcation occurs on 4th level of each vertebral column:
C4: bifurcation of common carotid artery
T4: bifurcation of trachea
L4: bifurcation of aorta

Deep tendon reflexes: root supply "1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8":
S1-2: ankle
L3-4: knee
C5-6: biceps, supinator
C7-8: triceps

Interesting Article

Daniel McKean (Year 2 medicine) has forwarded to me this interesting link from the New Yorker. We have much to learn....

Whole Brain Atlas

Those of you struggling to conceptualise the brain in three dimensions and to distinguish between T1, T2 and CT scan images, would do well to peruse this web site. Great images and a good place to test your knowledge of normal brain structures as well as abnormal situations. Well worth a visit.