Supplement to the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Editions of the Encyclopædia Britannica/Anatomy
ANATOMY.
The provinces of Anatomy and Physiology may now, we believe, be looked upon as distinctly and permanently defined. Anatomy is understood to treat solely of the Structure of Living Bodies, and Physiology solely of their Functions.
We shall observe this arrangement strictly in the following article. It is one which, in our opinion, has already been productive of material advantages to the science of Vital Economy. The descriptive detail of the structure of Living Bodies is no longer distracted and obscured by superficial and unconnected views of their functions; nor their functions carelessly discussed, in the form of occasional and uninstructive commentaries on the descriptions of their structure. Each is made the subject of separate and particular investigation; and not only has Anatomy been thus rendered more accurate and precise, but a more regular and philosophical form has been given to Physiology, and its progressive improvement rendered more sure.
Living Bodies being arranged into two grand classes, Animals and Vegetables, the science of Anatomy, of course, comprehends two great divisions corresponding to these; viz. Animal Anatomy and Vegetable Anatomy.
In the two following articles, we propose not only to trace the progress of improvement in each of those departments within these few years, but to correct several errors, and to supply many deficiencies, in the dissertations which relate to them in the body of the work.