Myology

Definition
 The study of the form and relative positions
of muscles in the bodies of farm animals.
Types of muscles
I. Smooth (involuntary, visceral, unstriated
(unstriped) muscle;
II. Involuntary striated (cardiac) muscle
III. Voluntary striated (skeletal) muscle
Smooth muscle
 Has no visible
striations and is
found in systems that
are chiefly automatic
in their functioning.
 They do not have

origins and insertions

and are not attached
to the skeleton.
Smooth muscle
 Examples;
 Smooth muscle is found in the wall of the

digestive tract, where it moves and mixes

food from the stomach into the small
intestines and through the intestines without
any conscious control.
Smooth muscle
 The walls of the urogenital system contain a
considerable amount of smooth muscle.
 The diameter of blood vessels and consequently

the quantity of blood flowing to a given area is

controlled by smooth muscle in the vessel walls.
 Contraction and relaxation of muscle are not

under conscious control and are regulated by

the autonomic nervous system.
 This is why smooth muscle is also called

involuntary muscle.
Involuntary striated muscle
 It is also known as cardiac
muscle because it is found
only in the heart.
 The cardiac muscle cells

possess cross striations

similar to those found in
striated muscles, however
the contractions of the
cardiac muscle does not
require nervous stimulus.
 They are automatic and do

not need conscious

control.
Voluntary striated (skeletal)muscle
 It is the flesh (meat) of our domestic animals.
 Individual cells appear striated (striped) when viewed under
a microscope.
 Each muscle fiber (also called the muscle cell) is long and
contains several nuclei (multinuclear) which are located near
the cell surface.
 Each muscle fibre in turn is composed of several muscle
fibrils (Myofibrils).
 A myofibril is the basic structure of muscles.
 Each muscle fibre is covered by a sheath of connective
tissue known as the sarcolemma.
 The sarcolemma acts as a connecting link between muscle
fibres and tendons and gives elasticity to the muscle fibre.
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Voluntary striated (skeletal)muscle
 Each skeletal muscle fibre is insulated from
all other muscle fibres and is controlled
directly by a branch from a voluntary nerve
(motor neuron), and is usually under
conscious control.
 The functional unit of voluntary striated

muscle is the motor unit which consists of a

motor neuron and all the muscle fibres it
innervates.
Voluntary striated (skeletal)muscle
 Muscles fibres do not occur as individual or isolated
structures. Instead, they are arranged in BUNDLES.
 Each muscle bundle are surrounded by a membrane
called the PERIMYSIUM.
 A number of muscle bundles are grouped together
to form a muscle.
 The muscle itself is surrounded by another
membrane called the EPIMYSIUM.
 Muscle generally consists of a body and two ends.
The ends terminate as cords or sheets of white
fibrous connective tissue called TENDONS.
Jipmer Physiologist 06/22/2020 12
The superficial muscles of a cow are diagramed. Labels: 1, Occipito-Frontalis. 2, Orbicularis Palpaebrarum. 3,
Masseter. 5, Sterno-cleido-Mastoid. 6, Trapezius. 7, Latissimus Dorsi. 8, Pectoralis. 9, 10, External and Internal
oblique muscles. 11, Opening of the mammary artery and vein (milk vein). 12, Gluteii. 13, Rectus Femoris muscle.
Attachment of striated muscles
(Skeletal)
 Striated muscles are usually attached to parts of
the skeleton by tendons.
 In general, each muscle (since it has 2 ends) is
attached to two different bones.
 One end of the attachment is movable and is
called the INSERTION.
 The other end which is almost immovable is
called the ORIGIN.
 Example: Consider the muscle that is attached
both to the scapula (shoulder blade) and to the
radius (arm bone) i.e the BICEPS BRACHII.
Attachment of striated muscles
(Skeletal)
 When it contracts, the end of the muscle
attached to the scapula remains almost
stationery whereas the end attached to the
radius moves.
 Therefore, the ORIGIN of the BICEPS is its

attachment to the scapula whereas the

INSERTION is the end attached to the radius.
Classification of Striated muscles
according to their actions
FLEXORS
 These are muscles whose contractions causes

the angle between the bones (e.g. humerus

and radius) to which they are attached to be
reduced.
EXTENSORS
 These are muscles whose contractions causes

the angle between the bones (e.g. humerus

and radius) to which they are attached to be
increased.
Classification of Striated muscles
according to their actions
ADDUCTORS
 These are muscles which tend to pull the

forelimb or hindlimb towards the median

plane.
ABDUCTORS
 These are muscles which tend to drag the

forelimb or hindlimb away from the median

plane.
Other groups of muscles
SPHINCTER MUSCLES
 These are found around several openings in the body

 They are composed of either smooth or striated

muscles unlike other classes described earlier.

Examples:
 The anal sphincter muscle which controls the passage

of faeces through the anus is composed of striated

muscles.
 The pyloric sphincter is made up of smooth muscle

and it controls the movement of food from the

stomach into the small intestines.
Other groups of muscles
 A class of striated muscles known as the
CUTANEOUS MUSCLE is found between the
skin and the superficial surface of the striated
muscles covering the skeleton.
 These cutaneous muscles are attached to the

inside surface of the skin and their function is

to move the skin.
 You have observed this movement in

domestic animals when they shake the skin in

order to displace flies.