Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1801. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER V. Classification os Animals from their internal Organization. ANIMALS may be divided into the two great families of animals with vertebrae and red bloodj and of animals without vertebrę, and most of them with white blood. The former have always an internal articulat- ed skeleton, of which the chief connecting part is the vertebral column. The anterior part of this column supports the head; the canal which passes from one end of it to the other, incloses the common fasciculus of the nerves; its posterior extremity is most frequently prolonged, in order to form the tail; and its sides are articulated with the ribs, which are seldom wanting. None of this family of animals has more than four limbs, some of them have two only, and others have none. The brain is always inclosed in a particular osseous cavity of the head,called the cranium. All the nerves of the spine contribute filaments to form a nervous cord, which has its origin in the the nerves of the cranium, and is distributed td the greater part of the viscera The senses are always five in number. There are always two eyes, moveable at pleasure. The ear has always at least three semicircular canals. The sense of smell is always confined to particular cavities in the fore part of the head. The circulation is always performed by one fleshy ventricle at least; and where the ventricles are two in number, they are always close together, forming a single mass. The absorbent vessels are distinct from the sanguiferous veins. The two jaws are always placed horizontally, and open from above downwards. The intestinal canal is continued without interruption, from the mouth to the anus, which is always placed behind the pelvis, that is, behind the circle of 'bones, which affords a fixed point for the p...
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About the Author
Georges Cuvier (1769-1832), est un anatomiste francais, promoteur de l'anatomie comparee et de la paleontologie au XIXe siecle.Issu dune famille protestante de Montbeliard province appartenant au Wurttemberg, il etudie a l'Academie Caroline de Stuttgart, ou il acquit la connaissance de la langue et de la litterature allemandes, il devient precepteur en Normandie. Tout en remplissant les devoirs de sa profession, il se consacre aussi a l'etude de l'histoire naturelle. Ses talents ayant ete apprecies par Tessier, savant agronome. Appele a Paris en 179, il se fait rapidement remarquer, a la fois par ses cours et par ses ecrits. Aussi, il est nomme successivement professeur d'histoire naturelle aux ecoles centrales, suppleant de la chaire d'anatomie comparee au Museum, professeur au College de France, membre de l'Institut (1796), puis secretaire perpetuel de la section des sciences (1803). Il est en outre admis peu apres a l'Academie francaise. Plus tard, il gravit les echelons academiques et devient inspecteur des etudes, conseiller et chancelier de l'Universite (1808), tout en accomplissant plusieurs fois les fonctions de grand maitre. Force est d admettre qu il profite de cette position pour favoriser l'enseignement de l'histoire et des sciences. Nomme en 1814 conseiller d'Etat, puis president du comite de l'interieur, il se distingue dans cette nouvelle carriere mais se montre trop complaisant pour le pouvoir en place.Comme naturaliste, Cuvier, surnomme l'Aristote du XIXe siecle, a contribue a son developpement. En effet, il a donne a la zoologie une classification naturelle et a permis a l'anatomie comparee de faire un pas immense en reconnaissant qu'il existe entre tous les organes d'un meme animal une subordination telle que de la connaissance d'un seul organe on peut deduire celle de tous les autres: c'est ce qu'il appelait la loi de la correlation des formes. Enfin il a donne a la geologie de nouvelles bases d observations, en fournissant les moyens de determiner l'anciennete des couches terrestres par la nature des debris qu'elles renferment.
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