The butt and legs Day 7

Focus question: Which muscles are found in the butt and legs' area?

Location: Butt and legs area. Specific muscles listed in data section.

Procedure:

1. take out cat
2. Find page in cat booklet which covers the location
3. Make an incision in the gluteus maximus area
4. search for the muscles in this area
5. Make an incision of the legs
6. search for muscles contained in the legs

Data collected
The muscles in the butt and leg were found. These muscles included the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, tensor fasciae latae, Sartorius, vastus lateralis, gastrocnemius, biceps femoris, semitendinosus, soleus, calcaneal tendon, peroneus, gracillus, extensor digitorum longus, tibialis anterior, adductor longus, adductor femoris, vastus lateralis, rectus femoris, and semimembranosus.

Conclusion

The legs required a lot of work to locate all of the muscles. There were muscles inside of muscles and those muscles were were inside of other muscles. The leg of a human and cat are similar in this way as they are set up in a similar way. The butts of both are different. It is going to be exciting, yet confusing to learn because they are all in close proximity and work together to help movement of the same area.

The back Day 7

Focus question: What muscles will be shown in the back?

Location: The back which includes the clavodeltoid, rhomboideus, levator scapulae ventralis, rhomboideus capitis, infraspinatus, supraspinatus, spinotrapezius, latissimus dorsi, and the spinalis dorsi.

Procedure:

1. take out cat
2. Find page in cat booklet which covers the location
3. Take scalpel and locate all the muscles in the back (mentioned in location)

Materials

1. Cat
2. Booklet
3. apron
4. gloves
5. mask
6. scalpel 

Conclusion

All the muscles were found that were needed to be seen. All of those muscles are listed in the location section above. Most of the muscles were found directly under the shoulder blade or right near the latissimus Dorsi. All the muscles are located within the location. The muscles are located underneath the clavo deltoid or under the bone, the clavicle.

The shoulder and forelimb Day 6

Focus question: What major muscles make up the forelimb and are located behind the shoulder blade?

Location: Muscles found in the shoulder and forelimb. Specific muscles listen in the data section.

Procedure:

1. take out cat
2. Find page in cat booklet which covers the location
3. remove the very thin layer of fat covering the first muscle shown
4. separate the four muscles next to each other on the arm
5. observe muscles in the back of the shoulder

Materials

1. Cat
2. Booklet
3. apron
4. gloves
5. mask
6. scalpel

Data collected

There are many muscles that make up the arm on the cat. We found all the muscles necessary that are involved with the shoulder and forelimb. The muscles found were the clavobrachialis, biceps brachii, pectoantebrachialis, pectoralis major, epitrochlearis, pronator Teres, flexor Capri ulnaris, palmaris longus, brachioradialis, extensor Capri radialis longus, and flexor Capri. The human muscles are more diverse and spread out. The clavobrachialis is around the shoulder blade and above the clavicle. From there on under the clavobrachialis. All of these muscles were found in the shoulder on the forelimb.

Conclusion

It was hard determining all of the muscles of the shoulder and the forelimb. These are where most of the muscles we have seen together on the cat. This part was not the worst part of dissecting. 

Dissecting the Abdomen Day #4 & #5

Focus question: What muscles will be displayed in the abdomen? What will they look like?

Location: Locating latissimus dorsi, rectus abdominus, external and internal obliques, transverse abdominus and the linea alba

Procedure:

1. Remove cat from bag
2. Turn booklet to the page which documents muscles in abdominal region
3. Make abdominal incision right under the ribcage
4. Separate the two layers of the muscle layers
5. locate muscles named in the 'location' section of the entry

Materials used:

1. Cat
2. Booklet
3. apron
4. gloves
5. mask
6. scalpel

Data Collected:
The latissimus dorsi was by far, the easiest muscle to locate due to its length. It is lateral to the erector spinae, in the back near the shoulder blades. The external and internal obliques are attached together and are very thin. The linea alba is the white, very clear lining that runs from underneath the nipple straight down over the abdominal muscles. The striations of the transverse abdominus showed that the muscle was under the internal obliques.

Conclusion:

The abdominal muscles were easier to locate than the chest muscles were. All of the muscles were more distinguishable. This section was definitely better than the chest muscles. It was less confusing and more open than the chest. The latissimus Dorsi, Rectus abdominus, external and internal obliques, transverse abdominus and the lines alba 

Deep cuts of the chest Day #1 & #2

Focus question: What will help distinguish each of the muscles from each other?

Location
Found in the chest cavity; pectoantebrachialis, pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, xiphihumeralis, serratus ventralis, and exterior intercostals

Procedure

1. Take the cat out of the bag
2. Open booklet to corresponding page for today's activity
3. Locate first incision made previously
4. Make deeper cuts in order to locate muscles mentioned in the 'location' section of this entry

Materials used:

1. Cat
2. Booklet
3. apron
4. gloves
5. mask
6. scalpel

Data Collected:

The cut initially made was deepened today. Two days were spent on locating all of the chest muscles successfully.

Conclusion:
Today was an interesting day for dissection as I was taken aback by how many layers there were before truly reaching the muscle. Although the layer separating the skin and muscle was considerably thin, I expected the muscle to be almost directly under all of the layers we had already take off. However, once all the excess layers had been removed, the muscles were much more easily distinguished. This was due to the different striations running in different angles and directions. By comparing the much less visible striations than those depicted in the booklet, my partner and I were able to eventually differentiate each of the muscles from what had previously seemed as if it was one very large muscle.

First Incision into the chest

Focus Question: How thin should the first incision be in order to reveal the muscles effectively?

Location: Incision starts from the middle of the chest directly under the collarbone and cut until the forelimb.

Procedure:

1. Take out the cat
2. Locate the area where first incision should be made using booklet
3. Use scalpel to make incision

Materials:

1. Cat
2. Booklet
3. apron
4. gloves
5. mask
6. scalpel

Data Collected:
Minimal data was collected today. The initial incisions made into the layer that covered the muscles were very thin. This insured the muscles underneath were not cut, thus damaging the tissue for later observation.

Conclusion:
The first incision made into the layer under the skin was an overall different experience than the one I was used to when skinning the cat. The skin was relatively thick and required a lot less skill than the layer we had to cut through today. However, I liked working on this layer more than the skin because of the lack of fur. The presence of fur when making incisions makes the entire process considerably messier. This was a welcome change.

Skin microscope day #1