128 
Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 
times dissected, to wit, the lion — of which I have carefully dis- 
sected four specimeus — the dog, rabbit, Macacus nemestrinus (6) ; 
M. cyuomolgus (3); Cercopithcus sabjjeus (3); Cebus capucinus (5); 
Talpa Europ?ea (4); Ardea eoiuata (-3); Diomcdea exulans (2); and 
many other animals, I have found that every second and succeeding 
dissection of the same species has been precisely identical. ISTovi^, 
there are scarcely two human stibjects Avhose muscular systems in 
every respect resemble each other, while in the series of each 
species above named, positively no deviations were met with, 
though in most cases (all but tlie dogs and rabbits) both sides were 
carefully dissected aud the muscles weighed ; those of one side by the 
Eev. Professor Ilaughton, and those of the other by myself. From 
these data, as well as from the comparison of the records of the dissec- 
tion by other anatomists of individual species, I think we are war- 
ranted in concluding, tliat there is smaller degree of variation in the 
muscular system of any well-marked animal form than there is in man. 
As to the producing causes of muscular anomalies, we will not be 
in a position to arrive at any very definite conclusions until we can 
procure a series of dissections of subjects whose habits of life have 
been known; for we have reason to believe that they to a large extent 
are due to variation in habit, and possibly are to a large extent 
hereditary, as such deformity as the occurrence of six fingers has been 
proved to be. Sex certainly does seem to influence their development, 
as stated before; and from the different degrees of frequency of 
certain anomalies, catalogued by Professor Wenzel Gruber, of St. 
Petersburg, Professor John Wood, of King's College, London, and 
myself in Dublin (where the largest number of subjects dissected are 
mainly of Celtic origin), it would seem that there was a difference 
in the relative frequency of certain varieties in Celtic, Saxon, and 
Sclavonic races. I have not met with any record of an extensive 
series of dissections of negroes or of other races, but it is probable 
that in these there would be found similar varieties of development, 
which might admit of tabulation as race characters. When the plan 
introduced by the Rev. Dr. Haughton, of weighing the muscles 
becomes adopted generally in such dissections, we may look for the 
recognition of such characters. 
The number of subjects which have come under my observation 
since I began to tabulate muscular anomalies has been nearly nine 
hundred : of these I have superintended the dissection and examined 
the abnormalities of fully six hundred and ninety, and I have had the 
anomalies in the others pointed out to me by those who superintended 
their dissections. I have especially to thank Dr. Kelly, Demonstrator 
of Anatomy, Carmichael Medical School ; Dr. Ward, Demonstrator in 
the Medical School of the Catholic University ; Dr. Bookey, of 
Steevens' Hospital; Dr. Walter Smith, of the University Medical 
School ; and Drs. Hewitt and Stoker, of the Poyal College of Surgeons, 
for showing me numerous rare forms of abnormality. 
