Publisher's Synopsis
This manual represents an experiment both as to choice of animal and plan of work. The dog has been chosen as subject of dissection instead of a large herbivore for several reasons. The student-specimen ratio can be reduced with a resultant increase in time for dissection by the individual student. At the same time more material can be covered in a given period than by using the horse or ox owing to the smaller size of the specimen and the ease with which structures are cleaned and visualized. These and other advantages result not only in better preparation of a student to study the more economically important animals, but also increases the time that can be devoted to the study of those regions most often involved surgically. The dog is cheaply purchased, preserved and prepared for dissection. After the arteries are filled with red latex they stand out more vividly than in life. The large systemic veins can also be injected. A large part of a dissected dog can be seen in a single field of vision. Structures can be left in place, e.g., the heart is dissected without removing it from the thorax. Terms used in veterinary anatomy are largely taken from human anatomy. Since in the dog structures closely resemble those of man, an advantage in making homologies to the mutual benefit of teacher and student results.
In general all terms have been Anglicized except most names of muscles, and even these Latin names have been used as if they were English in some places. The Latin terms were retained to differentiate muscles from nerves and vessels; furthermore most veterinarians prefer to use them. The improved BNA or INA terminology has been used almost entirely. Needless to say the excellent texts of Ellenberger and Baum, and Sisson and Grossman have been used frequently as references. It is probable that both have influenced the terminology more than they should, since a uniform terminology is desired by all anatomists.
