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The Vertebrate as a Dual Animal — Somatic and Visceral

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Evolutionary Biology

Abstract

In the study of vertebrate anatomy and embryology, one frequently encounters the terms “somatic” and “visceral.” Musculature is somatic or visceral; there is a somatic skeleton and a visceral skeleton; a somatic nervous system and a visceral nervous system. Are these terms merely descriptive, as regards external or internal position? I believe not. The anatomical and structural differences between the two elements in each organ system and, in great measure, the differences in embryological origin are so marked that the contrasts appear to be basic in the make-up of a vertebrate.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, USA

    Alfred Sherwood Romer

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  1. Alfred Sherwood Romer
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  1. University of California, Davis, USA

    Theodosius Dobzhansky

  2. Queens College, USA

    Max K. Hecht

  3. The New York Botanical Garden, USA

    William C. Steere

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Romer, A.S. (1972). The Vertebrate as a Dual Animal — Somatic and Visceral. In: Dobzhansky, T., Hecht, M.K., Steere, W.C. (eds) Evolutionary Biology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-9063-3_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-9063-3_5

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