I 
GENERAL ANATOMY OF THE MAMMALIAN BODY 5 
and dissecting an animal, it is important to use well-sharpened 
scalpels, which should be kept in good condition by frequent 
sharpening during the dissection. During the process of dissec¬ 
tion the preparation must be kept from drying by frequent 
applications of water. During the removal of the skin note its 
thickness, and the thin layer of subcutaneous muscle or panniculus 
carnosus, with its lines and regions of deeper attachment. 
Observe, incidentally, the loose connective tissue, or areolar tissue, 
which holds all parts together and is particularly well seen in the 
subcutaneous region where it holds the skin loosely to the under¬ 
lying muscles. Note fibrous connective tissue membranes 
(aponeuroses and fasciae) covering certain muscle masses and 
serving for the attachment of some of the muscles. Numerous 
blood vessels, both veins and arteries, and many nerves, will be 
seen during the process of skinning. 
In the skinned specimen, compare the general proportions of 
the body with those of man, and note in the latter the modifica¬ 
tions of structure and proportions due to the erect attitude. 
Note that the musculature is so applied to the bony skeleton as 
to fill in its hollows and spaces, and leave in general only the more 
prominent bony processes and surfaces uncovered and hence super¬ 
ficial in location. (For names of these cf. A3, pp. 3 and 4.) 
Important muscle masses in different regions of the body, with 
names of those muscles which are superficially located and thus 
form prominent external contours of the body: 
Facial or Mimetic Muscles. —Note that these include the 
muscles of the external ears. 
Muscles of the Lower Jaw or Mandible. —Note particularly 
the temporalis and masseter muscles. 
Muscles of the Neck. —(The sternocleidomastoideus so 
prominent in man, is here represented by two inconspicuous 
muscles.) 
Muscles of the Shoulder and Chest. —Note particularly on the 
dorsal side the trapezius muscle and the latissimus dorsi; on the 
central side the pectoralis muscle; the boundaries of the axilla 
formed by the edges of the latissimus dorsi and the pectoralis 
(dorsal and ventral “tendons” of the axilla); the serratus anterior, 
appearing on the lateral thoracic wall in the space between the 
