70 ANATOMICAL TECHNOLOGY. 



156. Scissors Figures 12, 25. All dissecting scissors should 

 be curved. The curvature gives three advantages : better adap- 

 tation to the surfaces of 

 animals and their parts, 

 which are rarely plane ; 

 the power to change the 

 direction of the cut with- 



FIG. 25. COARSE SCISSORS CURVED FLATWISE; out corresponding move- 

 x ' 5; 156 ' ment of the hand or of 



the subject ; the effect of the cutting is more easily observed. For 

 most purposes, the blades should be curved flatwise, as in Fig. 25, 

 but those curved edgewise, as in Fig. 12, are sometimes very con- 

 venient. All coarse scissors should have lock joints, so that the 

 blades may be separated for cleaning and sharpening. Fine scissors 

 should have sharp and well matched points. The medium coarse 

 scissors are well adapted to work upon the brain and heart, and 

 other organs for which the coarse scissors are too large, and the fine 

 ones unnecessarily delicate. 



157. The bone scissors are simply a strong, blunt-pointed pair 

 of coarse scissors, with which the cartilages, ribs, and other hard 

 or tough parts may be cut, so as to save the edges of the proper 

 dissecting scissors. A straight pair will answer the purpose quite 

 well, and usually cost somewhat less. 



158. The hair may be removed with a pair of common cheap 

 scissors ; but it is better, especially in a large laboratory, to provide 

 a special pair of coarse scissors, curved flatwise, and with the points 

 quite blunt. 



159. The enterotome supplied in post-mortem cases is a pair 

 of long scissors, one blade of which is enlarged and rounded, and 

 projects beyond the other so as to precede it in opening an intestine. 

 Similar instruments might be made for the cat, but the same end 

 may be accomplished by guarding one of the blades of a pair of 

 coarse scissors, especially such as are curved edgewise. Cleland 

 suggests (A, 155) sticking a bit of costicartilage upon one blade, 

 but a small rubber stopper will serve the purpose. 



160. Sponges. Sponges may be conveniently classed as car- 

 riage, bathing, anatomical and surgical. The last are fine grained, 

 and specially prepared, so as to be somewhat expensive. A few 

 such, of conical shape, are desirable, especially for experimentation. 

 For ordinary anatomical purposes, sponges should be small enough 



