Catgut is a cord made from the intestines of sheep, and sometimes from those of the horse, ass, and mule, but not from those of cats. The manufacture is chiefly carried on in Italy and France by a tedious process. Catgut for stringed instruments, as violins and harps, is made principally in Milan and Naples, the latter having a high reputation for treble strings. Research Catgut
Comfrey (Symphytum) is a large, handsome plant of the borage family. It is common in watery places and on the banks of rivers. The stems are branched and leafy, almost one metre high, winged in part with elliptical leaves. The flowers are white, pink or purple and droop in forked clusters. The roots abound in mucilage, which is useful in irritations of the throat, intestines, and bladder. Research Comfrey
Trichina is a genus of Nematodeworms. The genus includes Trichiasis spiralis which is one of the most dangerous parasites in man and other animals. It is very small, being less than 5 mm long, and some millions may be present in any one host, in which case they frequently give rise to the condition known as trichiniasis. The eggs are hatched out in the intestines of the host, and the trichinae then migrate to the muscles where they become encysted and develop no further unless the flesh of the host is eaten by some other animal. They are then set free in the alimentarycanal, where they become sexually mature. The natural host of this parasite is the rat, but it is also prevalent in pigs, and hence transmitted to man through eating pork. Research Trichina
In Egyptian mythology, Amset was son of Horus; guardian of the south. His canopic jar receives the stomach and large intestines of the dead. Research Amset
In Egyptian mythology, Hapi was a fertility god and the personification of the Nile. He was son of Horus and guardian of the North. He lived in the cave where the river was born, and his job was not to start or control the floods but to ensure that the waters were fertile. His canopic jar receives the small intestines of the dead. Research Hapi
Actinomycosis or Madura disease (popularly known as lumpy jaw), is a disease due to the ray fungus, and occurs in domestic animals - notably cattle, and occasionally human beings who work with cattle and can become infected. Suppurative swellings develop in certain parts of the body, namely the neck and jaw, the intestines - especially the appendix and large bowel - and the lungs. Secondary abscesses are often formed in other adjacent organs. The pulmonary type of disease resembles chronic bronchitis or tuberculosis and is generally fatal, although the disease runs a long course. In the other types the outlook is more hopeful. Research Actinomycosis
Amoebic dysentery is an illness caused by the pathogen Entamoeba histolytica which is transmitted by the faecal-oral route. Cysts are excreted in the faeces of an infected individual or carrier and ingested through faecally-contaminated food, water, objects, etc. After excystation, the trophozoites penetrate the walls of the large intestines causing ulceration and frequently causing the symptoms of dysentery. Involvement of the liver and other organs may occur if the protozoan invades the blood. Research Amoebic dysentery
In the literal sense, anatomy means simply a cutting up, but is now generally applied both to the art of dissecting or artificially separating the different parts of an organized body (vegetable or animal) with a view to discover their situation, structure, and economy; and to the science which treats of the internal structure of organized bodies. The branch which treats the structure of plants is called vegetable anatomy or phytotomy, and that which treats of the structure of animals animal anatomy or zootomy, a special branch of the latter being human anatomy or anthropotomy.
Comparative anatomy is the science which compares the anatomy of different classes or species of animals, as that of man with quadrupeds, or that of quadrupeds with fishes; while special anatomy treats the construction, form, and structure of parts in a single animal. The special anatomy of an animal may be studied from various standpoints: with relation to the succession of forms which it exhibits from its first stage to its adult form (developmental or embryotical anatomy), with reference to the general properties and structure of the tissues or textures (general anatomy, histology), with reference to the changes in structure of organs or parts produced by disease and congenital malformations (morbid or pathological anatomy), or with reference to the function, use, or purpose performed by the organs or parts (ideological or physiological anatomy).
According to the parts of the body described the different divisions of human anatomy receive different names; as, osteology, the description of the bones; myology, of the muscles; demology, of the ligaments and sinews; splanchnology, of the viscera or internal organs, in which are reckoned the lungs, stomach, and intestines, the liver, spleen, kidneys, bladder, pancreas, etc. Angiology describes the vessels through which the liquids in the body are conducted, including the blood-vessels, which are divided into arteries and veins, and the lymphatic vessels, some of which absorb matters from the bowels, while others are distributed through the whole body, collecting juices from the tissues and carrying them back into the blood. Neurology describes the system of the nerves and of the brain; dermatologytreats of the skin.
Among anatomical labours are particularly to be mentioned the making and preserving of anatomical preparations. Preparations of this sort can be preserved (1) by drying them and clearing away all muscular adhesions, etc, as is done with skeletons, the bones of which are sometimes washed with acids to give firmness and whiteness; (2) by putting them into liquids, as alcohol, spirits of turpentine, etc, as is done with the intestines and other soft parts of the body; (3) by injection, which is used with vessels, the course and distribution of which are to be made sensible and the shape of which is to be retained; (4) by tanning and covering with a suitable varnish, as the muscles.
Among the ancient writers or authorities on human anatomy may be mentioned Hippocrates the younger who lived between 460 and 377 BC, Aristotle who lived between 384 and 322 BC, Herophilus and Erasistratus of Alexandria who lived about 300 BC Celsus who lived between 53 BC and 37 AD, and Galen of Pergamus who lived between 140 and 200, the most celebrated of all the ancient authorities on the science. From his time until the revival of learning in Europe in the fourteenth century anatomy was checked in its progress.
In 1315 Mondino, professor at Bologna, first publicly performed dissection, and published a System of Anatomy, which was a text-book in the schools of Italy for about 200 years. In the sixteenth century Fallopio of Padua, Eustachi of Venice, Yesalius of Brussels, Varoli of Bologna, and many others, enriched anatomy with new discoveries. In the seventeenth century Harvey discovered the circulation of the blood, Asellius discovered the manner in which the nutritious part of the food is conveyed into the circulation, while the lymphatic system was detected and described by the Dane T. Bartoline.
Until 1832 the law of Great Britain made very insufficient provision for enabling anatomists to obtain the necessary supply of subjects for dissection. An act of some years previously had, it is true , empowered a criminal court, when it saw fit, to give up to properly qualified persons the body of a murderer after execution for dissection. This, however, was far from supplying the deficiency, and many persons, tempted by the high prices offered for bodies by anatomists, resorted to the nefarious practice of digging up newly-buried corpses, and frequently, as in the case of the notorious Burke and Hare of Edinburgh, to murder. To remedy these evils a statute was passed in 1832, which made provision for the wants of surgeons, students, or other duly qualified persons, by permitting, under certain regulations, the dissection of the bodies of persons who die friendless in alms-houses, hospitals, etc. The act also appointed inspectors of anatomy, regulated the anatomical schools, and required persons practising the operations to obtain a license. Relatives had a right under the law to effectually object to the anatomical examination of a body even though the deceased had expressed a desire for it.
Abbreviations
Research Catgut
