[Illustrations in medical education]

Two different anatomical illustrations of the shoulder were shown to two groups of students, in order to see what they had absorbed. Both figures were of the dorsal aspect of the shoulder. One figure (A) was from a current anatomical atlas, containing abundant details. The other (B) was a schematic drawing including scapula, humerus and three of the dorsal muscles. Altogether 111 medical and physiotherapy students participated in the study. Half of the students were shown Figure A, and the other half Figure B. Both figures were shown for ten seconds. Only 58 per cent of the students that were shown Figure A knew correctly what they had seen, in contrast to those that had seen Figure B where 88 per cent were correct. There is a difference with p less than 0.001. It seems justified to conclude that simple, schematic drawings emphasizing the important points are better for orientation and recollection than the more correct, but also more detailed type of figures.