User:Tdjones

"Anatomy is the basis of improved zoology. The classification of animals is founded upon their organization. This can be ascertained only by dissection. The use of the knife is recommended for the purpose of acquiring an acquaintance with the structure of animals. It is proposed that the members avail themselves of all opportunities to cultivate COMPARATIVE ANATOMY, and to communicate the results of their labors and researches to society."

Samuel L. Mitchill, American Zoology and Geology, March 1817. Referenced in Burnett, D. G. 2007. Trying Leviathan: The Nineteenth-Century New York Court Case That Put the Whale on Trial and Challenged the Order of Nature Princeton University Press, p. 57.