| MadSci Network: Anatomy |
According to the text: "Principles of Anatomy and Physiology" by Tortora and Grabowski, 7th edition,1993, there are "nearly 700 skeletal muscles in the human body." These are the named voluntary muscles and range in size from a few millimeters in length (the stapedius in a middle ear) to the massive thigh quadriceps (perhaps 45-50 cm in length in large adult males). Other medical anatomic texts did not provide a more exact number. Remember the cardinal rule of biology: variation in size, shape, location, and number!