Re: Some anatomical terminology (was Re: dinosaur books)

[Stanley Friesen <sarima@ix.netcom.com>]

At 02:43 PM 1/5/98 -0500, Mickey P. Rowe wrote:
>
>Stanley Friesen <sarima@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>> Parallel to the axis connecting the head (cranium) and the tail
>> (cauda).
>
>Although I may get shot for this, I *think* the singular there 
>should be caudum just as cranium is the singular form of crania.

You made me look it up :->

According to my dictionary it really is "cauda", a feminine a-stem.

>  But in any
>case I'm more concerned with the fact that in context this term may
>mean more than just parallel to said axis.  It may also indicate a
>directionality -- toward the tail (as opposed to caudocranially --
>toward the head).

Oops.  Yeah, I missed that subtlety.  (I would probably have gotten it if I
had the actual context in front of me, as usage usually makes that sort of
thing fairly obvious).
>
>>Similarly a direction may be implied by "dorsoventrally".
>>
>> Branches.  A general term for any vaguely rod-shaped extensions of a
>> bone.  The singular is ramus.
>
>Actually it's a general term for anything that can be described as
>branch-like.  That can be gills, legs, nerves or even phylogenies,
>etc. etc. ...

That is picking nits :-)

I would say that "*vaguely* rod-shaped" means about the same thing as
"branch-like".
>
>> >    Anteroposteriorly
>>
>> Parallel to the axis the front (anterior) and rear (posterior).
>> Essentially synonymous with "craniocaudally".
>
>This one really got to me...  These two terms are not synonymous
>except within specific contexts.  While it's true that modern
>reconstructions of dinosaurian postures make the terms virtually
>interchangeable in *modern* descriptions of dinosaurs, ...
>  In human or Godzillan anatomy the two axes are roughly
>perpendicular to each other.
>
Hmm, I suppose I got a little confused here.  So many of the terms in
question are defined independently of posture, I kinda expected this one to
be so also.

--------------
May the peace of God be with you.         sarima@ix.netcom.com
                                          sfriesen@netlock.com