PERCIVALLS ANATOMY OF THE HORSE. *585 
taining the whole anatomy of the osseous and muscular and 
respiratory and digestive and absorbent systems, were out of 
print, and there was no dissecting room with a competent and 
officiating demonstrator where the chasm in his elementary edu¬ 
cation could be filled. The snatches of Mr. Percivall’s forth¬ 
coming and complete “ Anatomy of the Horse/’ which occasion¬ 
ally appeared in The Veterinarian, only rendered him more 
desirous to be put in possession of the advantages which it pro¬ 
mised him in the pursuits of his anatomical researches. At length, 
after hope had been somewhat too long deferred, the promised 
work has appeared. The present volume is necessarily grounded 
upon, but it is not a repetition of, the anatomical portion of Mr. P.’s 
“ Elementary Lectures.” He has evidently and carefully tra¬ 
velled over the ground afresh. The descriptions of the different 
parts, although essentially the same, are more graphic; and they 
more readily supply the wants, and are more deeply impressed 
upon the memory of the student, by the divisions into which 
they are thrown. The tyro will, perhaps, follow with some 
difficulty a lengthened and complicated description of a certain 
muscle—to take that by way of illustration—and, after all, 
the impression or figure of the part upon his mind will not be 
distinct and prominent; it will be an isolated, comparatively un¬ 
interesting, useless thing: but when the situation is first de¬ 
scribed, and then the general outline or form of the muscle, its 
peculiar structure; then its attachments, its origin, and its 
insertion, as they are usually called ; and next, its connexion or 
relation, with every surrounding part of every kind ; and last of 
all, its action, direct or indirect, simple or combined: when all 
this is laid before him, his knowledge of the part is complete 
and permanent, and readily convertible to every point of physio¬ 
logy and surgery, and the nature and treatment of disease. 
This arrangement is applied to every viscus, thoracic and 
abdominal, and, in fact, to every part of the frame; and, next to 
the accuracy of the description, constitutes much of the value of 
the work. 
As the author passes along, he notices the discoveries which 
have been made respecting certain systems, since the publication 
of his “Elementary Lectures.” This is particularly observable 
with regard to the sensitive system; in which the luminous theory 
of Sir Charles Bell, with regard to the functions of the nerves, 
is briefly, but satisfactorily, stated. The auditory system , and 
principally from the pen of Mr. Simpson (not Mr. Smith, as 
erroneously printed), is new, and ingeniously described. The 
plantar system —the history of the structure and functions of the 
foot—is also new, and exceedingly valuable. Although it 
necessarily consists at present of little more than anatomical 
