When I was studying human anatomy at university, I learnt the three-dimensional positions of various nerves and blood vessels as they wound their way from the spinal cord, around bones, muscles and tendons, reaching out to the fingertips and toes.

After hours of staring at anatomy textbooks these pathways were firmly burnt into my retina, which is why my brain short-circuits every time I look at a meridian chart used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).