Bensley, B: Practical Anatomy of the Rabbit

Excerpt from Practical Anatomy of the Rabbit: An Elementary Laboratory Textbook in Mammalian Anatomy

The object of the present book is to set forth the chief facts of mammalian structure in an elementary, practical form; further, to use the anatomy of a typical mammal as a means of applying the more useful definitions of human anatomy and, so far as the limitations of a\ single type permit, also the broader conceptions of morphological zoology. On the practical side, its chief aim is to place before the student the materials necessary for a practical study of the type, rather than a descriptive account of its organization, though in some cases, notably in the treatment of the skeleton, it has been possible to follow a descrip tive method without departing from the original plan.

The inclusion of a section devoted to certain general aspects of the structure of the rabbit will, it is hoped, encourage the student to prose~ cute his practical study with a more liberal point of view. As to the subject - matter of this section, its selection has been a matter of no little difficulty, and, doubtless, in many respects it might have been improved upon. One must feel, however, that the first question is not one of detail, but of general principle. Progress depends to a considerable extent on the ability to attack small problems with a large spirit. At the present time a vast amount of effort is being devoted to the planning of laboratory courses, and'with increasing specialization it becomes more than ever the duty of the instructor to see that the student does not leave the laboratory, provided with a mass of detailed information, but lwith general conceptions as crude as when he entered it.

As a laboratory type the rabbit has been made familiar to students through various zoological textbooks and especially through the Zootomy of Parker. The use of the animal, however, so far as one may judge, has not been as extensive as its general convenience would seem to warrant. It may, therefore, be of some value to direct atten tion to this form by providing more facilities for its study. It is un fortunate, in many respects, that no recent and adequate account of the anatomy of the rabbit is available, as is the case with other mammals used for laboratory study, the classic Anatomze des Kaninchens of Krause, published in 1884, being still the common source of information.

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