_General._--In dissecting muscles a prime requisite of successful
dissection is to keep the muscles _clean_. Fat, connective tissue, etc.,
is to be carefully but thoroughly cleared away from the surface of
muscles and from between them. Frequently when it seems impossible to
distinguish the structures described, all difficulty will vanish as soon
as the dissection is thoroughly cleaned.
In transecting a muscle, work under it completely from one edge to the
other (except in case of very wide muscles), then introduce the scissors
or scalpel, and cut it by a smooth clean cut. Always leave the entire
origin with one-half of the muscle, the entire insertion with the other
half.
The student must be prepared to find in some cases considerable
variations from the conditions described. The descriptions attempt to
give an account of the _usual_ structures, but specimens showing no
variations whatever are undoubtedly rare.