Section 3 overview:

In this shortest of the 4 sections of the musculoskeletal system we focus on the thoracic and abdominal wall constructs.  We include thoracic wall osteology and arthrology in the first lab, along with the muscles of the thoracic wall.  The second lab is dedicated to dissecting the abdominal wall. A review lab finishes out the section, to include review of Section 2 material, before the Section 2&3 exams.

How to use this guide

To facilitate efficient dissection progress, the lab guide is generally organized into carnivore dissection sections, with ungulate comparative anatomy at the end of each section. Appendices contain helpful details to support greater understanding.  The unit terms list concludes the content, and you should use these lists as your study guide. For quick reference, the Resource Summary page should include links to all review videos and a complete terms list for the unit.

Pay close attention to clinical relevance information in magenta text boxes to help connect the lab content to what is discussed in lecture. Content in blue text boxes contains dissection instructions, while content in green text boxes indicates observation required only and states the structures that should be identified following successful dissection.

Where relevant, we have tried to follow dissection instructions with dissection photos. These photos may be clicked to enlarge, and Pressbooks will return you to your place in the guide when you use the back button. If photos are unsourced in the guide, you may assume that they were taken by the NCSU Anatomy Team and labeled for your use.  Those images with superscripts reference the source of the image.