Keele Research Repository

Through the centuries, from Claudius Galen, Andreas Vesalius, Leonardo Da Vinci to Gray’s Anatomy illustrations of Henry Vandyke Carter, drawing, as a form of art, has been a tool for learning and teaching anatomical sciences. We have conducted an observational pilot study on using art of drawing as a tool to learn histology, in which 25 dental students participated. Pre- and post- activity surveys were used to assess the views and attitudes of the students toward the approach and future embedding of drawing as an additional, supportive teaching and learning tool for structural sciences studies, such as histology and anatomy. The analysis of the surveys revealed a high appreciation and interest in the approach with a high 80% of participants recommending future employment of drawing as a method of learning. We discuss the relevance of drawing, as a method to learn and teach anatomical sciences, reflecting on findings of previous studies and observations of conducted surveys with recommendations for future development of the approach.