The dissector's guide, or, Student's companion : illustrated by numerous woodcuts, clearly exhibiting and explaining the dissection of every part of the human body / by Edward William Tuson.

  • Tuson, Edward William, 1802-1865.
Date:
1837
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The dissector's guide, or, Student's companion : illustrated by numerous woodcuts, clearly exhibiting and explaining the dissection of every part of the human body / by Edward William Tuson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

    13/240
    DISSECTION OF MUSCLES, WITH GENERAL RULES. The muscles are the parts which are first dissected by those commencing practical Anatomy, and to do this well, requires considerable adroitness and practice. There are some which are very intimately connected with the skin, as those of the lips, nose, See. To expose these is difficult, as their fibres are very indistinct and confounded with the integuments. The student should, therefore, not be dis- appointed if he fails in his first attempts. But the large, long, and thick muscles are more easily shown.—Muscles, being composed of nearly parallel fibres, the manner of displaying them is naturally indicated. The integuments are to be divided until the muscular fibres are exposed, the knife always following the direction of these fibres, detaching all the cellular tissue with the skin. Without this precaution, shreds would remain on various points of the surface of the muscle, and the difference between the color of the fleshy fibres and the cellular membrane would give a very disagreeable and rough aspect to the prepara- tion. The evil cannot be remedied when once committed, for by removing these portions of membrane, the muscle has a mangled appearance, and its regularity is destroyed. The skin being divided, the hand is to be used in preference to the forceps. By doing this, the skin, and with it the cellular membrane, can be drawn from the muscle in a more uniform manner, and to a greater extent. The thumb is then used with advantage in pinching up the membrane. The part on which a muscle is to be dissected, should always be placed in such a situation as to produce a forci- ble extension of that muscle. This not only much facili- tates the dissection, but impresses on the mind its direction and use.