xviii INTRODUCTION. 



part e.g. skin the slight injury to which will not interfere 



with the dissection. 



The more delicate dissections are best conducted under 



water. A convenient dissecting dish is made by fitting a 

 piece of sheet cork weighted with one of sheet lead into 

 the bottom of a common pie-dish : the sloping sides of this 

 latter are admirably adapted for admitting the greatest 

 possible amount of light. The subject, in this case, is fixed 

 out with small pins. 



The most necessary dissecting instruments are : 



Three or four scalpels of various sizes. 



A large and a small pair of scissors. 



A large and a small pair of forceps. 



A pair of bone-forceps. 



A " seeker," i.e. a blunt bent needle fixed in a handle. 

 A German silver anatomical blowpipe. 1 

 The ordinary pointed form of scalpel is the best, those 

 with obliquely truncated ends are rarely suitable. The 

 scissors should have sharp points, and should bite well to 

 the very end : this is especially important with the small 

 pair, which will otherwise be perfectly useless. The forceps, 

 also, should meet accurately at the points, which should be 

 roughened so as to insure a firm grip ; in the small pair the 

 pin placed to prevent the points crossing when pressure is 

 applied, should fit easily but not loosely in the hole for its 



1 Boxes containing the above set of instruments are made by 

 J. Weiss & Son, 62, Strand ; Hawkesley & Son, 300, Oxford Street ; 

 C. Baker Co., 244, High Holborn ; J. Swift, 81, Tottenham Court 

 Road ; and J. B. Medland, 12, Boro' High Street. 



