Paper short abstract:

Paper long abstract:

This paper explores understandings of design in one particular field of social practice - that of anatomical modelling in contemporary Britain. It examines perceptions of designs and processes of designing as they emerge through the making and use of three-dimensional anatomical models of the human body. Such models are constructed in order to generate anatomical knowledge, especially to aid medical students in visualising - or accurately imagining - human anatomy. But the difficulties encountered in learning anatomy often highlight the limitations of models, leading to their modification and the instigation of new ones. Asking how anatomical designs and designing operate in particular contexts, this paper discusses the uses of plastic models produced by commercial firms as well as models made in-house in medical-school workshops. This provides insight with regard to relationships between standardised plastic models and those improvised using diverse materials, such as wood, wire, perspex, paper and recycled objects.