2. Applied anatomy of the human musculoskeletal system

Thorough knowledge of anatomy has traditionally been a prerequisite for the practice of medicine and surgery. At the time of Vesalius (1514–1564), anatomy was the ‘mainstream’ of medicine, but even at the beginning of the twenty-first century, it has lost none of its relevance. In fact, ‘good old’ anatomy has taken on new dimensions through advanced imaging techniques, such as CT and MRI, and through new approaches, such as endoscopic surgery. Three-dimensional knowledge of the body is indispensable for a correct interpretation of the images obtained.