Aprit 19, 1901. ] 
particularly to the attention of those best 
able to judge of its value and to profit by 
the same. I have no doubt that from this 
class of men valuable work in investigation 
will be secured. 
IV. UTILIZATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE 
MUSEUM OF THE MATERIAL OBTAINED 
FROM THE DISSECTING ROOM, AND 
REFERENCE COLLECTION IN 
OSTEOLOGY. 
The question has at times been discussed 
whether the morphological museum should 
take its place in the university system as 
part of the departments of general biology 
and zoology, or as an integral division of 
the department of anatomy in the medical 
school. Iam unhesitatingly of the latter 
opinion. Aside from the obvious relation 
to undergraduate medical instruction which 
I have attempted to outline above, the mere 
fact that man, the highest vertebrate of the 
series, forms the object of study in the 
medical curriculum, assigns to the mor- 
phological museum its logical place in the 
university system. The human material 
necessary for the completion of the museum 
series is to be obtained from the supply of 
the medical school. The typical prepara- 
tions are, of course, from specially selected 
subjects set apart for the purpose. Besides 
this, however, one of the important func- 
tions of the museum is to supervise the 
records of the dissecting room, to collect 
and arrange the statistical information af- 
forded by the constantly repeated examina- 
tion of the human body, to acquire for its 
own purposes the preparations which either 
illustrate normal structures unusually well 
or demonstrate important and significant 
variations. Part of this material is capable 
of direct incorporation in the museum series 
after removal from the cadaver and proper 
preparation. For other objects the method 
of plastic reproduction by means of casts is 
invaluable. This applies especially to the 
SCIENCE 
609 
great group of myological variations. Not 
only are the objects bulky and not well 
adapted for preservation as moist specimens, 
but casts actually better serve the purposes 
of the museum in exhibition and instruction. 
In the comparative myological series, with 
which human muscular variations are 
necessarily brought into intimate relation, 
the method of plastic reproduction is an 
essential. The full utilization of rare and 
valuable animals requires this method be- 
cause superficial structures must be removed 
before the deeper parts can be reached. As 
the superficial muscles are exposed casts of 
the different regions are taken in various 
positions. Inthe same way, by casting the 
deeper layers as they are successively 
reached, permanent records of the greatest 
value for myological study and reference 
are attained. The casts, together with the 
notes and drawings of the dissection, form 
a complete and readily accessible record 
far exceeding in value and accuracy any 
other method of illustration. Again, for 
example, in dealing with the development 
and modifications of the extremities in the 
vertebrate classes, each group is accom- 
panied by casts of the entire hand and foot, 
forming, together with the preparations of 
the soft parts, muscles and ligaments and 
the skeleton of the extremities, a complete 
series. For purposes of instruction this 
method has proved itself very valuable. 
Thus a carefully prepared and hardened 
liver showing the natural surfaces and im- 
pressions, which are ordinarily lost in the 
organ removed from the body before hard- 
ening, ard which are hence not ordinarily 
recognized, has been cast and reproductions 
prepared in sufficient numbers to allow one 
to each student for personal examination 
during the demonstration of the organ to 
the class. This plan, when extended as 
purposed by the museum, will vastly add 
to the effect and value of our demonstrative 
teaching. 
