Essays and observations on natural history, anatomy, physiology, psychology, and geology / by John Hunter, being his posthumous papers on those subjects, arranged and revised, with notes ; to which are added the introductory lectures on the Hunterian collection of fossil remains delivered in the theatre of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, March 8th, 10th and 12th, 1855 / by Richard Owen.
- John Hunter
- Date:
- 1861
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Essays and observations on natural history, anatomy, physiology, psychology, and geology / by John Hunter, being his posthumous papers on those subjects, arranged and revised, with notes ; to which are added the introductory lectures on the Hunterian collection of fossil remains delivered in the theatre of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, March 8th, 10th and 12th, 1855 / by Richard Owen. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![The next thing to be considered is the power or powers of motion. The muscles cannot be considered by themselves, but in their depend- ence upon the bones and tendons; without which we cannot bring out all their uses. In their investigation, like the bones, they should be deprived of everything but what concerns them immediately; therefore, fat, cellular membrane, vessels, nerves, glands, &c. must be removed. The viscera are the next in order; but as the bones, muscles, blood- vessels, and nerves are common to every part of the body, and the viscera, sense organs, &c. are particular parts, it is usual to proceed with the universal or common, and afterwards with the particular or viscera. The blood-vessels form a step beyond the mere mechanical parts; but, considering the parts only so far as mechanism is concerned, they are next in the order of progression. For the knowledge of them depends on the knowledge of the bones, ligaments, cartilages, muscles, and tendons ; therefore, in dissecting them, they should be left in connexion with these, but be deprived of everything else. The nerves come next. They are a good deal like the vessels in their dependencies; yet we choose to make them last, for these reasons : they are less understood, are more complicated, more numerous, and in general smaller. This appears to be the most reasonable way to proceed from the more simple to the more complex parts: for, suppose we were to invert the order and begin with the nerves, we should then begin with the most complex parts, before we knew what dissection was [or had acquired the art], and we should meet, in the attempt, with several parts of which we knew nothing, such as muscles, viscera, ligaments, bones, &c. Fat is only a luxurious accidental part; therefore does not come within the compass of dissection. The cellular membrane we have not taken notice of; for it is what we destroy in cleaning the other parts. The best way of understanding it is by common dissection, its use being no more than a connecting medium to all the parts of a body, and dissecting, in general, is no more than destroying this medium. Chap. II.—Or the Skeleton in general. A Skeleton is— A passive substance: Sustaining or giving support: Giving general figure to the parts or to the whole : Determining the places or motion of parts :](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21182656_0398.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
