Gastrocnemius
Musculus gastrocnemius
Extensor of the foot. (It is to be noted that what is called extension in the foot is analogous to what is called flexion in the hand, so that the extensors of the foot are most readily to be compared with the flexors of the hand.).
About the gastrocnemius of the cat
Gastrocnemius is a muscle of the back leg (pelvic limb), one on each side of the body. Its name in the Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria is Musculus gastrocnemius. You can turn it above, see it in place in the back leg of the cat, and open it inside the whole animal in Vetomica.
Where it runs from and to
A muscle is told apart from its neighbours by what it takes hold of at each end, which is also what decides what it does when it shortens.
- Origin
- of the lateral head is in four portions: (1) …
- Insertion
- into the proximal end of the calcaneus near its ventral border. This tendon together with that of the soleus and the fascia of the shank forms a tubular sheath for the tendon of the plantaris.
- Action
- Extensor of the foot. (It is to be noted that what is called extension in the foot is analogous to what is called flexion in the hand, so that the extensors of the foot are most readily to be compared with the flexors of the hand.).
- Nerve
- Tibial nerve.
Written for Vetomica in its own words from the standard reference anatomy of the cat; the books it was checked against are listed below.
Terminology
- English
- Gastrocnemius
- Latin (NAV)
- Musculus gastrocnemius
- Status
- A valid term in the Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria
The gastrocnemius in other animals
The same structure in the other animals in the Library, to compare.
Questions about the gastrocnemius
- What is the Latin name of the gastrocnemius?
- In the Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria, the gastrocnemius is called Musculus gastrocnemius.
- Where is the gastrocnemius of the cat?
- Gastrocnemius is a muscle of the back leg (pelvic limb), one on each side of the body.
- Where does the gastrocnemius originate and insert?
- Origin: of the lateral head is in four portions: (1) … Insertion: into the proximal end of the calcaneus near its ventral border. This tendon together with that of the soleus and the fascia of the shank forms a tubular sheath for the tendon of the plantaris.
- What nerve supplies the gastrocnemius?
- Tibial nerve.
- What does the gastrocnemius do?
- Extensor of the foot. (It is to be noted that what is called extension in the foot is analogous to what is called flexion in the hand, so that the extensors of the foot are most readily to be compared with the flexors of the hand.).
See the gastrocnemius inside the whole cat.
Vetomica opens on this structure with every layer of the cat around it: peel back the skin and the muscles, cut a section through it, X-ray it, and practise naming it until you stop getting it wrong.
Free for 7 days, no card. After that the skeletons stay free.
