MUSELanyon of Comparative AnatomyUMUMLanyon

of Comparative Anatomy

POTSVeterinary Anatomy Specimens

RVC_Nick ShortPhotography_Michael Frank

The Lanyon Museum of Comparative AnatomyRoyal Veterinary College

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) was founded in 1791 and has built up a unique collection of anatomical exhibits since then. These are housed in the Lanyon Museum of Comaparative Anatomy located within the RVC Camden campus which is one of the largest veterinary museums of its type in the world. The museum is unusual in that the exhibits are displayed around an open plan caf where students can view skeletons, ranging from an elephant to a Marabou stork, whilst having lunch. However, the museum hosts much more than just skeletons. In particular, there is a unique collection of beautifully dissected specimens dating back to the last century that have been preserved in formaldehyde filled perpspex pots. Students are able to take these pots off the shelf and then scan a QR code to watch a video description of the key features on their tablet or mobile phone.

Whilst the museum is a great resource for teaching, students also want to be able to access these rich resources online. This was the inspiration behind creating a digital photographic collection to make the specimens more accessible to students. Using sophisticated digital editing technologies, it was possible to create photographic images of high resolution with all discolouration and preservative artefacts cleared from the image.

This book captures some of these photographic images which are now being used by students and academics at the RVC. It is hoped that the book will give others the chance to appreciate not only the scientific value of these historical specimens but also their unique beauty.

This image shows the reticulum of a goat. The reticulum is one of the four chambers of the ruminant (cattle, goats, sheep) stomach and is characterised by the honeycomb pattern which lines the inside. Bacteria are present here which causes fermentation of the food material. The oesophagus can be seen entering the reticulum at the top of the picture. The opening in the centre leads to the omasum, another chamber of the stomach. A small part of the rumen, another chamber, is attached to the reticulum on the right. The lining changeshere to small papillae, and resembles carpet.

Reticulum of a goat

The image shows a mares uterus with the foetus removed but still attached by the foetal membranes. The vast blood supply can be seen on the inner surface of the uterus.

Pregnant uterus of a mare

This image shows a wallaby uterus. Marsupials are different to most mammals as they have paired vaginae, cervixes, and uteri. The bladder can also be seen towards the bottom left corner.

Wallaby uterus

Conjoined twins are classified based on the body parts that are fused. The most common types are:Thoraco-omphalopagusThoracopagusOmphalopagusParasitic twinsCraniopagus

These piglets have two faces on opposite sides of fused head, and fused upper bodies with separate lower bodies. This classifies these twins as Cephalopagus.

Conjoined piglet twins

This image shows a foetus of monkey enclosed in its foetal membranes. The discoid placenta, which supplies the foetus with nutrients, is attached behind it.

Foetus and discoid placenta of a monkey

This image shows the omasum and abomasum, the last two chambers of the goats stomach. The omasum is characterised by rough sheet-like folds, whereas the abomasum has softer folds. The omasum is where water is absorbed, and the abomasum is the equivalent to the human stomach.

The omasum and abomasum of a goat

This image show a pregnant red deer uterus with the foetus removed. The cut umbilical cord can be seen. The blood vessels have been injected with blue and red latex which makes the large spherical cotyledons more visible. The cotyledons are the location where the maternal and foetal circulation come into contact so that nutrients can be exchanged.

Red deer uterus

The image shows a bovine heart with left and right ventricles opened. The pot shows the moderator band (trebeculum septomarginalis) in the right ventricle and the ligamentum arteriosum at the pulmonary artery.

Bovine heart

The image is of an intact sheep heart showing ligamentum arteriosum and the coronary circulation.

Sheep heart

The image shows a canine persistent right aortic arch, a pathological condition.

Canine persistent aortic arch

The image shows a pregnant canine uterus opened to show the nature of the zonary placenta common in carnivores.

Pregnant canine uterus

The image shows the foetal membranes of a dog.

Foetal membranes of the dog

This image shows an uterus of a cat. The spherical swellings found spaced along the uterus are the foetuses. This is an early pregnancy as the foetuses arent well developed and thus quite small. Part of the uterus has been opened on the right, and the small foetus can be seen attached to the wall of the uterus.

Early pregnant uterus of a cat

This image shows a cow uterus, with the circular button-like caruncles. The caruncles are the site of attachment for the placenta. There are around 100 caruncles in a bovine uterus.

Cow uterus showing caruncles

The image shows an injected testis of a goat, showing the nature of the Pampiniform plexus heat exchange mechanism around the testicular artery.

Injected testis of a goat

The image shows an injected bull penis showing venous drainage and the sigmoid flexure common in ruminants and pigs.

Injected bull penis

The image shows an injected dog penis showing blood supply to the penis and prepuce.

Injected dog penis

The image shows the blood vessel & nerves of right distal bovine forelimb.

Distal bovine forelimb

The image shows an equine distal forelimb with flexor tendons and suspensory ligament. The lateral peronal nerve has been removed.

Equine distal forelimb

This image shows the gastrointestinal tract of a foal. The blue-purple spleen can be seen to the left, which is attached to the relatively small stomach in the middle of the picture. The long ascending colon, part of the large intestine, can be seen in the right of the picture. Branches of the main artery, the aorta, can be seen, which supply the different organs.

The gastrointestinal tract of a foal

Each reniculus often serves as a complete miniature kidney complete with a cortex, medulla, papilla and calyx. Over 450 reniculi can be found in the kidney of a bottlenose dolphin.The number of reniculi in the kidneys of marine mammals is thought to correspond roughly to the salinity in the diet.

Dolphin kidney

The image shows a canine rectum, bladder and associated organs including the prostate gland.

Canine rectum

The image shows an external and internal Illiac artery of an ox.

Iliac artery of an ox

The image shows a midline section of dog brain.

Dog brain

This image shows multiple bot fly larvae attached to the inside of a horses stomach. The bot fly lays its eggs on the horses hair, which the horse then ingests during grooming. The eggs hatch and the larvae attach to the lining of the horses stomach.

Bot fly larvae attached to an equine stomach

This image shows a corrosion cast of a pigs lung. The clear resin represents the airways within the lungs, while the red represents the arterial blood supply and the blue represents the venous blood supply through the lung. This is created by pumping resin through the airways or blood vessels until it hardens. The lung tissue is then removed so that the cast remains.

Corrosion cast of a pigs lung

This image shows a corrosion cast of a cows lung. The clear resin represents the airways within the lungs, while the red represents the arterial blood supply through the lung.

Corrosion cast of a cows lung

Corrosion cast of a goats lung

This image shows a corrosion cast of a goats lung. The clear resin represents the airways within the lungs, while the red represents the arterial blood supply through the lung.

SkeletonsSKULLS

Equine skull

Dugong skull

Three greyhound skulls

Giraffe skull

Marabou stork

Flamingo

Soay ram

Harris hawk

Bushbaby

Parrot

Rhesus monkey

MUSEUMANATOMYOF COMPARATIVE

THE LANYON

Thank you to all the staff at the Royal Veterinary College who have assisted in collecting these photographs. Special appreciation for all the help received from Andrew Crook and Sarah Nicol in selecting and identifying the specimens.

University of London

RoyalVeterinaryCollegeR

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