52 HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY 



belly). There is an unfortunate confusion in regard to 

 the employment of anterior and posterior. They have 

 been much used as though equivalent to ventral and 

 dorsal respectively. But another usage which appears 

 more desirable is to define anterior as toward the head, 

 posterior being the reverse. Anterior is then the same 

 as superior, posterior is synonymous with inferior. If 

 we adhere to the practices outlined we shall have no 

 difficulty in comparing the structural relations in the 

 lower animals with those in man. Such difficulty is 

 experienced where the other significance is given to 

 anterior and posterior; as an animal walks the anterior 

 parts precede the posterior but in the erect position the 

 ventral precedes the dorsal. 



