Dissection I. Back and Shoulder.
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You get one cat to last the entire semester take care of it! Always clean up after yourself. Do not put solid material down the sink. Be very careful handling tools and dispose of all blades in sharps container.
Humans versus cats: Familiarize yourself with the major anatomical differences between humans and cats, and how these are reflected in morphological differences. Compared to cats, humans have: Highly mobile shoulder, well-developed clavicle Thorax that is wider (M-L) than it is deep (D-V) Grasping hands, nails not claws, opposable thumbs No external tail; tail muscles incorporated into pelvic diaphragm Modifications for bipedal walking: Lumbar lordosis (lumbar spine shorter and less mobile than cat) wide, short pelvis, radically different than cat pelvis G. medius, g. minimus function as thigh abductors enlarged gluteus maximus habitual full extension of knee femur angled medially beneath body (bicondylar angle) specialized hind foot larger brain & neurocranium, reduced face, relatively smaller jaw muscles, reduced canine teeth reduced body hair permanently enlarged mammary glands DISSECTION OF BACK, THORAX, UPPER ARM Skinning the cat. Before dissection, palpate spinous processes of vertebrae, scapula, ribs, pelvis, and sternum. Always think and visualize what you are cutting into before inserting your scalpel. Check with the mounted cat skeleton if you are having trouble identifying landmarks. Begin by making a midline incision along the spinous processes, from the middle of the skull (between the ears) to the base of the tail. Reflect the skin laterally, beginning around the middle of the back and working towards the head and tail. Follow natural surgical layers as you dissect. Use blunt dissection with a probe or fingers to reflect only the skin. Employ a spreading-scissor technique to clean muscles and separate along natural planes of fascia. Notice cutaneous nerves and vessels as you skin. Find the cutaneous maximus a thin subcutaneous muscle that inserts on and moves the skin (humans dont have this muscle). Identify the different major layers of the skin. Reflect the skin laterally off the back, from the neck (up to base of ears) to the base of the tail. Be very careful not to cut into the abdomen. Reflect the skin off the forelimbs, distal to the elbows. Once the skin is reflected off the back, you will likely need to clean the fascia to better observe the underlying muscles and see the orientation of fascicles. Try to entirely expose the borders of each muscle to facilitate identification. Understand the origin and insertion of each muscle you dissect, and trace the muscles out to their bony attachments. Always remember to correlate the anatomy of the cat with human anatomy. Superficial Back and Shoulder Muscles. On the superficial aspect of the back, identify the spinotrapezius, acromiotrapezius, and clavotrapezius (which fuse into a single trapezius muscle in humans). Look for them located caudal, medial, and cranial to the scapula respectively. These muscles are very thin and sheet-like, and may be difficult to see without cleaning (esp. the acromiotrapezius). Identify the levator scapulae as it disappears deep to clavotrapezius. Deep, caudal, and lateral to spinotrapzius you will find latissimus dorsi, which will inserts on the medial aspect of the humerus. Find the division between these two muscles, and clean each one, tracing the latissimus dorsi to its insertion on the humerus. Next identify the three different muscles that fuse into a single deltoid in humans. The clavodeltoid (aka
Dissection I. Back and Shoulder.
clavobrachialis) is continuous with the clavotrapezius as it extends into the arm. Often there is no clear division between the two, as these muscles fuse together over the clavicle. The clavicle in cats is small, thin, and greatly reduced compared to the human clavicle. The acromiodeltoid and spinodeltoid run from their well-named origins on the scapula to the humerus, inserting along the area of the deltoid tuberosity. Distinguish these muscles. Deep Back and Shoulder Muscles. On one side, reflect the acromiotrapezius by cutting is along the spine and pulling it laterally. Leave it attached to its insertion on the scapula. Expose and identify the following deeper muscles: supraspinatus; infraspinatus; teres major; rhomboideus major & minor. You will have to pull the scapula laterally to identify the rhomboids. You will find the subscapularis on the deep (ventral) surface of the scapula. The teres minor is difficult to find it is a small muscle that lies deep to spinodeltoid, and runs from the lateral border of the scapula to a common (rotator cuff) insertion on the greater tubercle of the humerus along with the supra- and infra-spinatus. Remove the thoracolumbar fascia over the lower back that serves to attach the latissimus dorsi to the spine and ilium. This will expose the large and important muscles of the erector spinae (not shown on diagrams). Pectoral Muscles. After you complete dissection of the back and shoulder, flip the cat and finish removing the skin from the chest. Do not dissect the abdominal muscles at this time! Identify the pectoantebrachialis, a thin muscle extending from the sternum to the forearm (humans do not have this muscle). Deep and inferior to this muscle you will find the Pectoralis major, which is the largest muscle of the chest in humans (but not in cats). In the cat, the pectoralis minor (located deep and inferior to the major) is the largest pectoral muscle. The pectoralis minor attaches to the coracoid process in humans, but in cats it attaches to the proximal humerus, and works with pectoralis major in adduction of the arm. The xiphihumeralis is a slip of muscle that runs between the pectoralis minor and latissimus dorsi (humans do not have a xiphihumeralis). To visualize the axilla, the xiphihumeralis must be cut as it runs between these muscles. You will also be able to identify the serratus ventralis (called serratus anterior in humans), originating from the ribs, wrapping around the thorax posteriorly, and inserting on the medial border of the scapula. Upper Arm. Dissect very carefully around the arm and axilla (armpit) to preserve important nerves and blood vessels. Identify the thin epitrochlearis running across the medial aspect of the arm. Cut and reflect both the epitrochlearis and the pectoantebrachials (neither muscle is present in humans). Now identify the major muscles of the arm: Triceps brachii, biceps brachii, and brachialis, which is lateral to biceps brachii. Pectoralis major and P. minor insert on the humerus between the biceps brachii and brachialis.
Cat: Back and Shoulder Superficial Dissection (dorsal-lateral view)
Cat: superficial dissection dorsal-lateral view
Human: Back and Shoulder Superficial Dissection
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. deltoid spine of scapula trapezius infraspinatus teres major latissimus dorsi t ceps b ac triceps brachii
1 4 5 7 6
3 2
Cat: Back and Rotator Cuff Deep Dissection (dorsal-lateral view)
Cat: Lateral Shoulder Superficial dissection
Human: back and rotator cuff Deep dissection
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
levator scapulae rhomboideus minor rhomboideus major supraspinatus infraspinatus teres minor teres major erector spinae latissimus dorsi (cut) serratus anterior
1 2 4 5 6 9 7 10 8 3
human
Cat: pectoral region and medial arm Superficial Dissection
Human, superficial
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Human, deep
3 11 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Pectoralis major trapezius clavicle deltoid biceps brachii latissimus dorsi serratus anterior external oblique q rectus abdominus pectoralis minor coracoid of scapula
2 4 1 10
7 5 9 8 6
