THE most complex known object in the universe is the human body. And one of the best ways of exploring it is through another (to some) complex object - the computer.
While computers have become indispensable to scientists unravelling the mysteries of deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA - the molecule responsible for the transmission of hereditary characteristics from parents to offspring - and the inner workings of the brain, they have found, perhaps unsurprisingly, a medical niche in the home.
Software products range from anatomical guides to the digital equivalent of the first aid kit.
One particularly comprehensive reference to medicine and the human body is the authoritative Mayo Clinic Family Health Book.
Published on compact disc-read-only memory (CD-ROM), this stunning production is packed with information about anatomy, keeping fit, modern medical care . . . indeed there seems to be something on almost every imaginable subject, from sex education to dealing with death.
Hundreds of animations and full-colour photographs let users peek into the body in ways not possible using traditional textbooks.
A floppy-disk title, Bodyworks, lets you study specific parts and systems of the body, from skin to bones, head to toe, right down to cell structure.
