PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS. 433 
mended, mould is almost sure to attack them. Material neglected 
for a week may thus be ruined. 
If mould is found at any time to be attacking the material, the 
attacked part should be cleaned and well wrapped in cloths saturated 
in the formalin-glycerine mixture. If such means are unavailing, the 
specimen should be immersed in a vessel of one per cent. formalin 
and preserved for the future in this. Recourse should be had at 
once also to this method of preservation if the specimen shows signs 
of decomposition by having a strong odor. 
It seems probable that the attacks of the mould might be 
prevented by mixing some fungicide with the injecting fluid; experi- 
ments should be made in this direction. 
There are many advantages in preserving the material if possible 
without immersing it. All parts retain their color and pliability 
much more completely, so that the different structures are much 
more easily distinguishable. ‘The method above described, by the 
use of formalin and glycerine, is to be recommended when the 
material is to be worked on every day or so and is not to be kept 
longer than a few weeks. It is usually not very satisfactory in warm 
weather, however. If some method can be devised of entirely pre- 
‘venting the attacks of the mould, this will be an excellent method of 
preserving anatomical material. 
The same specimens used for the study of the muscles will serve 
also for the spinal cord and brain if prepared by one of the methods 
above described. (For the viscera, blood-vessels, and nerves, other 
specimens will have to be prepared; for these, directions are given 
later. 
“Muscles to be Dissected.—It will probably usually be impossible 
in a given course of study to dissect all the muscles of the cat. The 
instructor will of course select such as seem most advisable to him. 
The following may perhaps be recommended as a good selection 
for a fairly extensive course: Muscles of the Fore Limbs (pp. 436- 
439); Muscles of the Neck and the Deep Muscles of the Head (pp. 
439- 441); Muscles of the Wall of the Thorax and of the Abdomen 
(pp. 441-442); Muscles on the Ventral Side of the Neck (p. 442). 
If the superficial facial muscles (excluding those of the ear) can be 
studied from a preparation, this will be a valuable addition to a 
course (pp. 434-435). 
DISSECTION OF MUSCLES. 
General.—In dissecting muscles a prime requisite of successful 
dissection is to keep the muscles clean. Fat, connective tissue, etc., 
is to be carefully but thoroughly cleared away from the surface of 
muscles and from between them. Frequently when it seems impossi- 
ble to distinguish the structures described, all difficulty will vanish 
as soon as the dissection is thoroughly cleaned. 
