Lesson 7 LECTURE ON MUSCLEs

Yesterday the students of our group came to the Academy to listen to a lecture on muscles. The lecture was attended by all of us. The lecture was delivered by Prof. Smirnov. To listen to it was very interesting. Prof. Smirnov was the first to tell us about the anatomical significance of the muscles in the body. In his lecture he said that the body of an animal was composed of about 600 skeletal muscles. The students learned that in the adult mammals about 35-40% (per cent) of the body weight was formed by the muscles. According with the basic parts of the skeleton all the muscles were divided into the muscles of the trunk, head, and extremities.

When Prof. Smirnov spoke about the form of the muscles he said that all the muscles were divided into three basic groups: long, short and wide muscles; the free extremities were formed by the long muscles; wide muscles lay on the trunk; the walls of the body cavities were formed by wide muscles. Some muscles were named according to the structure of their fibers, for example, radiated muscles; others according to their uses, for example, extensors (разгибающие мышцы) or according to their direction, for example, oblique (косая).

When Prof. Smirnov spoke about the structure of the muscles he said that the muscles were formed by a mass of muscle cells, the muscular fibers were connected together by connective tissue, the blood vessels and the nerves were in the muscles.

The great research work was carried out by many scientists to determine the functions of the muscles. Three basic methods of study were used: the experimental work on animals, the study of the muscles on a living human body and on the corpse. This work helped to establish that the muscles were the active agents of motion and contraction.