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.)

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    No more of the skin should be raised than is necessary to exhibit the part to be shown, and after each dissection, it should be covered again with the integuments, to prevent the drying, which soon takes place if left exposed to the air. It is best to defer shaving the head and other parts, where there is hair, until it is wished to dissect the subjacent muscles, as the cuticle on doing this immediately dries, becomes almost of a horny hardness, which renders the dissection unpleasant and almost impracticable. After having exposed an external layer of muscles, the deeper-seated should be demonstrated in the same manner, always raising the fat and cellular substance from them with the muscle already studied and dissected. A muscle being dissected, and having no further use for it in its original situation, it is better, if a long one, to di- vide it in its middle, and thus to preserve the two points of its origin and insertion. The large muscles of the trunk it is advisable to detach from their insertion. But general rules cannot be given which will extend to such varieties as occur in the removing of muscles. But it may be well to observe that in removing muscles, they are not to be divided according to the direction of their fibres, but fol- lowing the course of the fibres of those muscles which are beneath. The manner of holding the scalpel when dissecting muscles or aponeuroses, is only to be learnt in the dissect- ing room to advantage. Finally, in the dissection of the muscles, use the scalpel in a free and prompt manner. Make the strokes long and bold, using the little finger as a point d' appui to steady the movement of the hand. By practice this is soon acquired, and it is a necessary acqui- sition not only to the dissector but to the surgeon. To acquire a dexterity in the application of surgical