Variations in human myology observed during the winter session of 1867-68 at King's College, London / by John Wood.

  • Wood, John, 1825-1891.
Date:
1868
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Variations in human myology observed during the winter session of 1867-68 at King's College, London / by John Wood. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    ^Variations in Human Myology observed during the Winter Session of 1867-68 at King's College, London. By John Wood, F.R.C.S., Examiner in Anatomy to the University of London. (.On giving the results of our observations in this branch of scientific iinquiry, my thanks are again due to the zeal and increased experience of imy assistants iu the dissecting-rooms, and especially to Mr. J. B. Perrin, Iby whose constant labour and vigilance my work has been most materially iiaided. Of the 36 subjects dissected, not one has been found totally vwanting in departures from the standard descriptions of the muscular tsystem given iu anatomical text-books. Some of the more common varia- ttions, which are usually mentioned by our best authors, have been included I this year with a view of determining their relative frequency. Others I have been comprised which seem to show the first evidences of a tendency tto the more complete and striking abnormal forms. These I have deemed of much importance in throwing light upon (the origin of the more complete variations. Many of them have been I found so often as materially to add to the total number of abnormali- ities iu the Table, and also to the labour of searching out and classifying I them. With few exceptions, the lines of variation have been found in the ^same grooves as in former sessions, as will be seen by comparing the Tables. (Our observations have still been confined to the muscles of the head and neck, arms and legs, not noting those of the face, back, or abdomen, except in the case of unusual eccentricity of formation. All the more 1 important formations have been sketched by myself from the subject; and (the greater part of those which have been simply noted have also been I previously examined by me. The proportion of the two sexes happens ithis year to have been exactly equal, giving us a fair opportunity of com- iparing the proportionate frequency of muscular abnormalities in each. IFor the sake of greater convenience of reference, they have been placed separately in the Table. In the 36 subjects, 18 males and IS females, we have the large number of 558 muscular variations, of which 20 were found in the head and neck proper, 390 in the arms (including those lying in the neck which act upon the upper extremity), and 148 in the le(/s. But although the absolute number of specimens found is so much greater than iu former years, the lines of variation are not proportionably increased, amounting to 72 as compared with 61 of last year. Of these 13 were found in the head- and neck-musdes proper, 37 in the arm, and 22 in the leg—the greatest increase being in the arm. In the first section of the accompanying Table will be found 20 speci- 2 T