INTRODUCTION 19 



at the beginning, err, if at all, upon the side of over-exactness 

 and over-carefulness in the use of instruments, in the methods 

 of handling anatomical objects, and in the isolation of the details 

 of structure. He should at first force himself to follow estab- 

 lished rules and regulations rigidly ; if desirable, later on in his 

 work he may allow himself more latitude. He should aim to 

 make his dissection such that he may at any moment and without 

 embarrassment turn it over to an instructor who may wish to 

 deliver a lecture on the part; he should aim to do his work so 

 carefully that an artist may satisfactorily make a drawing of it 

 to illustrate a text-book. 



While a large portion of the student's time in the early part 

 of the dissection is occupied with the technique of the work, 

 learning how to find the various structures and to demonstrate 

 them properly, he should not forget that the mere mechanical 

 side of the work, important as it is, is not the only side. It is 

 necessary that he should also study the structures carefully, 

 learn their names, examine their relations, and, above all, under- 

 stand their significance. Atlases, text-books, models, and moist 

 and dry preparations should be assiduously used in connection 

 with the dissection of the part, if the student is to acquire in the 

 anatomical laboratory the knowledge and skill which it is de- 

 sired that that laboratory shall give him at the beginning as a 

 basis for his other medical studies. 



INSTRUMENTS NEEDED. 



Each student should provide himself with a good set of dis- 

 secting instruments made by a reliable manufacturer. They 

 should be made of good steel, properly tempered and well 

 ground. It is false economy to buy cheap instruments or to 

 secure a set at second hand. The quality of the student's work 

 will be much influenced by the kinds of instruments he uses and 

 the state in which he keeps them. A good set of dissecting in- 

 struments will not cease to be valuable to the medical student 

 when he finishes his dissection, but will be found convenient for 

 many purposes during his subsequent practical life. 



The sets supplied by the manufacturers vary greatly in ex- 

 tent and quality, and the student may find it advantageous to 

 make up a set for himself, choosing the individual instruments 

 from stock, rather than to purchase any regular dissecting-case 

 offered. As a minimum the student should possess : 



