Anatomy Acts

After steady advances in anatomy and physiology, the dawn of the nineteenth century found European and American society confronted with a dilemma. As medical schools multiplied, the demand for corpses as instructional materials for students and surgeons escalated. Because the legal supply of cadavers was unable to meet this demand, a brisk business in black market cadavers arose. Resurrectionists dug up recently interred bodies and even manufactured cadavers by euthanizing vagrants. In 1831, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and in 1832, the British Parliament passed the so-called Anatomy Acts, which permitted the use of unclaimed bodies for dissection by specially licensed teachers. 

FIGURE 2.2 The anatomy of the neuron. Communication between two neurons occurs at the synapse. The presynaptic neuron produces and releases the neurotransmitter into the synaptic cleft. Four mechanisms (1 ) are important to understand the function of most neurotransmitter systems. The release of neurotransmitter can be modulated via presynaptic receptors (1). The amount of neurotransmitter in the synaptic cleft can be decreased by reuptake into the presynaptic neuron (2) or via enzymatic degradation. Neurotransmitter effects at the target neuron are relayed via fast-acting ion channel—coupled receptors (3) or via slower-acting G protein—coupled receptors (4). Down-stream effects of postsynaptic receptors include the phosphorylation (P) of nuclear proteins. 

Figure 4.13 Anatomy of selected proteins. (A) The /3 subunit of hemoglobin carrying a heme molecule (B) triose isomerase and (C) /3-lactoglobulin carrying a molecule of vitamin A. Spirals represent helix segments, and the broad arrows are pleated sheet polypeptide segments showing the direction from the N to the C terminus. (A and B reproduced with permission from Richardson JS. The anatomy and taxonomy of protein structure. Adv Prot Chem 34 168-339, 1981. C reproduced with permission from Papiz MZ, Sawyer L, Eliopoulos EE, North ACT, Findlay JBC, Sivaprasadarao R, Jones TA, Newcomer ME, Kraulis PJ. The structure of beta-lactoglobulin and its similarity to plasma retinol-binding protein. Nature 324 383-385, 1986.)...

The importance of the spleen in the pathophysiology of the hemolysis of HS has been substantiated. Two factors determine the selective destruction of the HS cells in the spleen (1) poor HS red cell deformability, which is a reflection of a decreased surface-to-volume ratio resulting from the loss of membrane and (2) the unique anatomy of the splenic vasculature, which acts as a microcirculation filter. As shown in Table 6-2, the underlying molecular basis of HS is heterogeneous, and the primary molecular lesion in HS is likely to involve several membrane proteins, including spectrin, ankyrin,... 

This classic in the field of pharmacology provides detailed information on anatomy and functions of the autonomic nervous system. Although primarily concerned with drugs and how they act upon the body, there are also excellent sections on the toxicity of gases and vapors and heavy metals. Goodman and Gilman thoroughly evaluate many of the more widely used compounds utilized by the pharmaceutical industry. 

Turning to the cellular anatomy of the CSF, the normal cell count is up to 4 pi This is constituted of approximately two-thirds lymphocytes and one-third macrophages. This comprises an ideal mixture for the production of antibodies. Since the brain has very few lymphatic ducts, it has been argued that one of the main functions of CSF is to act as a kind of lymph for the brain tissue. Under pathological conditions this function becomes especially prominent. 

Alexander Crum Brown (Edinburgh 26 March 1838-28 October 1922), professor of chemistry in Edinburgh (1869-1908), was also proficient in anatomy and engineering and acted as examiner in Japanese. He wrote on the phlogiston theory, on Brodie s system of chemical notation, and the application of mathematics to chemistry. With James Walker he extended Kolbe s electrosynthetic method (see p. 505) to the preparation of esters of dibasic acids from the alkali salts of semi-esters ... 

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