ANATOMY.
object of that branch of the science of anatomy which is to occupy our attention in this part of the article, is to point out the differences and relations that subsist among analogous parts in the inferior classes of animated nature ; and to compare these as far as respects their organization with man and with each other.
Though the study of what is now called Comparative Anatomy, appears to have been anterior, in point of date, to that of human anatomy, and was much cultivated by the earlier professors of the science, it is only within our own times that it has attained any considerable degree of accuracy or perfection. By the labours of our cotem poraries, however, it is now so much improved, as to have become, not only highly interesting in its-lf, but of the greatest importance, as an introduction J physi ology and natural history.
That the contemplation of the animal structure must be highly interesting to all who have a taste for investi gating the works of nature, is a remark that scarcely re quires illustration ; but if the study of anatomy shall ever become general or fashionable, it will perhaps be pro secuted chiefly in the inferior animals. The cutting up of a quadruped, a bird, or a fish, is not, in general, ac companied with those feelings of horror and disgust, that seldom fail to attend the dissection of a human body. To the former we are in some measure familiarized by our domestic habits, but the latter is repugnant to all our ideas of taste and delicacy. Human anatomy must be studied by medical men, as a necessary part of their pro fessional education ; and it may attract the attention of many whose occupations require them to possess a com petent knowledge of the external forms and relative pro portions of the more obvious organs, or whose inclina tion prompts them to examine the structure and economy of man, an ;nteresting part of natural history ; but it can sc ly be expected, that the generality of those who eng4., in the study of nature's works, should make the human body an object of very extensive or minute in vestigation.
Thus, comparative has this advantage over human anatomy, that it is less at variance with the zeneral feel ings of mankind. It has also another advantage ; for 11,.
the subjects of dissection may, in general, be easily ob tained, comparative anatomy may be studied at all times, and in all places, with nearly equal success.
The utility of comparative anatomy in illustrating the principles of physiology, is now universally acknowledg ed, and Haller has gone so far as to affirm, that physi ology has been more illustrated by comparative anatomy, than by the dissection of the human body.
The same able anatomist to whom we were obliged for our general introduction to this article, employs the following considerations for spewing the importance of comparative anatomy in the general study of the animal economy.
All living bodies with which we are acquainted, are con structed nearly on the same plan, possess similar organs and functions, and being modified only according to those circumstances which have given occasion to their artificial arrangement into class, order, genus, and spe cies, contribute much to illustrate each other. In one animal, for instance, an organ is small, its structure com plicated, or its use obscure ; while in another the analo gous organ is large, its structure simple, and its function obvious. Had it not been for the attention paid to these differences, many discoveries which have beer, made in human anatomy would still have been unknown, had they not been previously made in comparative anatomy.
Were we to confine our anatomical and physiological researches to one species, we might be led to ascribe too much importance to the form, size, structure, and situation, of organs ; but by examining different animals, we learn that similar functions may be carried on by or gans of various forms, magnitudes, proportions, situa tions, and, structures ; or should the functions happen to vary according to the organs, we are led to a very use ful enquiry, how far, not only the variety of function, hut that of genius, instinct, habits, and manners, is connected with such variation of organs.