MU

SE
UM

Lanyon

of Comparative Anatomy

POTS
Veterinary Anatomy Specimens

RVC_Nick Short
Photography_Michael Frank

The Lanyon Museum of Comparative Anatomy

Royal Veterinary College

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) was founded in 1791 and has built up a unique
collection of anatomical exhibits since then. These are housed in the Lanyon Museum
of Comaparative Anatomy located within the RVC Camden campus which is one of the
largest veterinary museums of its type in the world. The museum is unusual in that the
exhibits are displayed around an open plan caf where students can view skeletons,
ranging from an elephant to a Marabou stork, whilst having lunch.
However, the museum hosts much more than just skeletons. In particular, there is a
unique collection of beautifully dissected specimens dating back to the last century that
have been preserved in formaldehyde filled perpspex pots.
Students are able to take these pots off the shelf and then scan a QR code to watch
a video description of the key features on their tablet or mobile phone.
Whilst the museum is a great resource for teaching, students also want to be able to
access these rich resources online. This was the inspiration behind creating a digital
photographic collection to make the specimens more accessible to students.
Using sophisticated digital editing technologies, it was possible to create photographic
images of high resolution with all discolouration and preservative artefacts cleared
from the image.
This book captures some of these photographic images which are now being used
by students and academics at the RVC. It is hoped that the book will give others the
chance to appreciate not only the scientific value of these historical specimens but also
their unique beauty.

This image shows the reticulum of a goat. The reticulum is one

of the four chambers of the ruminant (cattle, goats, sheep)
stomach and is characterised by the honeycomb pattern
which lines the inside. Bacteria are present here which causes
fermentation of the food material. The oesophagus can be seen
entering the reticulum at the top of the picture. The opening in
the centre leads to the omasum, another chamber of the
stomach. A small part of the rumen, another chamber, is
attached to the reticulum on the right. The lining changes
here to small papillae, and resembles carpet.

Reticulum of a goat

The image shows a mares uterus with the foetus removed but still
attached by the foetal membranes. The vast blood supply can be
seen on the inner surface of the uterus.

Pregnant uterus of a mare

This image shows a wallaby uterus. Marsupials are different to

most mammals as they have paired vaginae, cervixes, and uteri.
The bladder can also be seen towards the bottom left corner.

Wallaby uterus

Conjoined twins are classified based on the body parts that are
fused. The most common types are:
Thoraco-omphalopagus
Thoracopagus
Omphalopagus
Parasitic twins
Craniopagus
These piglets have two faces on opposite sides of fused head,
and fused upper bodies with separate lower bodies.
This classifies these twins as Cephalopagus.

Conjoined piglet twins

This image shows a foetus of monkey enclosed in its foetal

membranes. The discoid placenta, which supplies the foetus
with nutrients, is attached behind it.

Foetus and discoid placenta of a monkey

This image shows the omasum and abomasum, the last two
chambers of the goats stomach. The omasum is characterised
by rough sheet-like folds, whereas the abomasum has softer
folds. The omasum is where water is absorbed, and the
abomasum is the equivalent to the human stomach.

The omasum and abomasum of a goat

This image show a pregnant red deer uterus with the foetus
removed. The cut umbilical cord can be seen. The blood vessels
have been injected with blue and red latex which makes the large
spherical cotyledons more visible. The cotyledons are the location
where the maternal and foetal circulation come into contact so
that nutrients can be exchanged.

Red deer uterus

The image shows a bovine heart with left and right ventricles
opened. The pot shows the moderator band (trebeculum
septomarginalis) in the right ventricle and the ligamentum
arteriosum at the pulmonary artery.

Bovine heart

The image is of an intact sheep heart showing ligamentum

arteriosum and the coronary circulation.

Sheep heart

The image shows a canine persistent right aortic arch, a

pathological condition.

Canine persistent aortic arch

The image shows a pregnant canine uterus opened to show the

nature of the zonary placenta common in carnivores.

Pregnant canine uterus

The image shows the foetal membranes of a dog.

Foetal membranes of the dog

This image shows an uterus of a cat. The spherical swellings

found spaced along the uterus are the foetuses. This is an early
pregnancy as the foetuses arent well developed and thus quite
small. Part of the uterus has been opened on the right, and the
small foetus can be seen attached to the wall of the uterus.

Early pregnant uterus of a cat

This image shows a cow uterus, with the circular button-like

caruncles. The caruncles are the site of attachment for the
placenta. There are around 100 caruncles in a bovine uterus.

Cow uterus showing caruncles

The image shows an injected testis of a goat, showing the nature

of the Pampiniform plexus heat exchange mechanism around the
testicular artery.

Injected testis of a goat

The image shows an injected bull penis showing venous drainage

and the sigmoid flexure common in ruminants and pigs.

Injected bull penis

The image shows an injected dog penis showing blood supply to

the penis and prepuce.

Injected dog penis

The image shows the blood vessel & nerves of right distal bovine
forelimb.

Distal bovine forelimb

The image shows an equine distal forelimb with flexor tendons

and suspensory ligament. The lateral peronal nerve has been
removed.

Equine distal forelimb

This image shows the gastrointestinal tract of a foal. The bluepurple spleen can be seen to the left, which is attached to the
relatively small stomach in the middle of the picture. The long
ascending colon, part of the large intestine, can be seen in the
right of the picture. Branches of the main artery, the aorta, can
be seen, which supply the different organs.

The gastrointestinal tract of a foal

Each reniculus often serves as a complete miniature kidney

complete with a cortex, medulla, papilla and calyx. Over 450
reniculi can be found in the kidney of a bottlenose dolphin.The
number of reniculi in the kidneys of marine mammals is thought
to correspond roughly to the salinity in the diet.

Dolphin kidney

The image shows a canine rectum, bladder and associated

organs including the prostate gland.

Canine rectum

The image shows an external and internal Illiac artery of an ox.

Iliac artery of an ox

The image shows a midline section of dog brain.

Dog brain

This image shows multiple bot fly larvae attached to the inside of
a horses stomach. The bot fly lays its eggs on the horses hair,
which the horse then ingests during grooming. The eggs hatch
and the larvae attach to the lining of the horses stomach.

Bot fly larvae attached to an equine stomach

This image shows a corrosion cast of a pigs lung. The clear resin
represents the airways within the lungs, while the red represents
the arterial blood supply and the blue represents the venous
blood supply through the lung. This is created by pumping
resin through the airways or blood vessels until it hardens.
The lung tissue is then removed so that the cast remains.

Corrosion cast of a pigs lung

This image shows a corrosion cast of a cows lung. The clear

resin represents the airways within the lungs, while the red
represents the arterial blood supply through the lung.

Corrosion cast of a cows lung

This image shows a corrosion cast of a goats lung. The clear

resin represents the airways within the lungs, while the red
represents the arterial blood supply through the lung.

Corrosion cast of a goats lung

SKULLS
Skeletons

Equine skull

Dugong skull

Three greyhound skulls

Giraffe skull

Marabou stork

Flamingo

Soay ram

Harris hawk

Bushbaby

Parrot

Rhesus monkey

THE LANYON

MUSEUM
OF COMPARATIVE
ANATOMY

RVC

Royal
Veterinary
College

University of London

Thank you to all the staff at the Royal Veterinary College who have
assisted in collecting these photographs. Special appreciation for
all the help received from Andrew Crook and Sarah Nicol
in selecting and identifying the specimens.