Comparative anatomy / by C.Th. v. Siebold and H. Stannius ; translated from the German, and edited with notes and additions recording the recent progress of the science by Waldo I. Burnett.

  • Karl Theodor Ernst von Siebold
Date:
1854
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Comparative anatomy / by C.Th. v. Siebold and H. Stannius ; translated from the German, and edited with notes and additions recording the recent progress of the science by Waldo I. Burnett. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    I have especially devoted myself to the collecting and collating as completely as practicable, the numerous new and important facts in the organization of the invertebrate animals, which have as yet been developed. And as occasion presented, I have verified with my own eyes the particular results; and when I have been obliged to refer to the discoveries and observations of others, I have cited exactly their works. I could not exclude Embryology and Histology from this work, for, in these branches, often lies our only means not only to ascertain the true nature of many larval forms among the lower animals, but also to arrive at the correct interpretation of many organs which, in form, position, and arrangements, have no analogues among the higher animal forms. It is only by the aid of Histology that we are able to show that this or that organ is a branchia, a liver, a kidney, an ovary, or a testicle; while, in the Vertebrata, which are organized after a few principal types, the signification of most of the organs can usually be easily determined by their position and connection. In order to avoid long descriptions, I have, when practicable, re- ferred to plates and figures; but in so doing I have always endeavored to cite the good and original representations, for I am convinced that many figures which are transferred from one book to another, become, at last, so changed as to be quite dissimilar to the original. The elaboration of this work having been commenced in 1845, but its completion having been delayed by my change of residence from Erlangen to Freiburg, and partly by a pretty long sojourn of mine on the Adriatic Sea, I have been unable to use the important works which have been published during the last few years, except in the form of a Supplement [additional notes] which will serve to com- plete, to confirm, or to rectify what has been advanced in the body of the work. I take this opportunity to publicly express my gratitude to A. Kolliker, H. Koch, A. Krohn, C. Vogt, and H. Stannius, for the friendly and important aid they have rendered me in the completion of this difficult task — not only by the transmission to me of inter- esting and rare marine animals, but also in the communication of important manuscripts and letters, the contents of which they have allowed me to freely use for my work. Freiburg (in Breisgau), Feb. 27, 1848. C. Th. v. SIEBOLD.