Applied Anatomy and Physiology of the Human Body
Why anatomy matters at the table
Embalming is applied circulatory anatomy. You must know the heart (four chambers, with the right atrium reachable by trocar for drainage), the great vessels, and the arterial chain available to the embalmer: common carotid (bifurcating at about the level of C4 into internal and external), subclavian, axillary, brachial, radial and ulnar, common and external iliac, and femoral. Note the asymmetry of the neck: the right common carotid arises from the brachiocephalic trunk, while the left arises directly from the aortic arch. Cerebral perfusion depends on the circle of Willis, which is why bilateral carotid injection fills both hemispheres.
The femoral triangle, and friends
The femoral artery is the workhorse site: find the midpoint of the inguinal ligament, then 1-2 cm below it. The femoral vein lies medial to the artery, which is why a single incision can serve both injection and drainage. Veins have valves and arteries do not, which is why drainage is often better from a vein nearer the heart and why raised venous pressure can help fill capillary beds.
Systems you must be able to sketch
Respiratory (trachea, bronchi, pleural cavities), digestive (stomach, bowel, liver), urinary (kidneys, ureters, bladder) and lymphatic (thoracic duct draining to the subclavian veins). Lymphatics explain why oedematous tissue is slow to preserve; the urinary tract and bowel explain the odour of inadequate cavity treatment.
Traps and a rule of thumb
Questions love to swap artery for vein, to place the femoral artery on the midline, or to ask which vessel chiefly supplies the face (the external carotid). Rule of thumb: pulse points are arteries, drains are veins - find the pulse, then look medially for the drain.