Anatomy and physiology of the cervical spine.

Although the lumbar spine was extensively studied from 1934 to the present, the cervical spine has received far less attention. Anatomic, physiological, biochemical, and biomechanical characteristics of the lumbar spine are often presumed to apply to the cervical spine. The differences are far too extensive to warrant such an assumed correlation.

The preparation of human cross sections.

Technical advances in the field of radiology, especially computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanning, have made gross anatomical cross-sections increasingly important in understanding the relationships of internal structures. Since 1940, the Anatomy Program at the University of Vermont has developed and used cross-sections of the entire human body in teaching predoctoral, postdoctoral, and allied health professionals. This paper describes in detail the process through which specimens are selected, embalmed, frozen, sectioned, and displayed.

The painful shoulder.

The shoulder, a very common site of pain syndromes in medical practice, lends itself well to precise clinical analysis and identification of the pain-sensitive structure or structures. Once identified, rational and effective management can be applied, associated with predictably good prognosis. Early identification of the emerging specific syndrome is important in decreasing the duration of the clinical disorder and in achieving optimum return of shoulder function.