Dr. Hermann Bragulla
Associate Professor
Comparative Biomedical Sciences (CBS)
Teaching Interests:
Comparative and Developmental Morphology: Anatomy, Histology, and Embryology
Research Interests:
Comparative and Developmental Morphology
In general, my research interests are in the field of comparative and developmental morphology. Since the beginning of my academic career, I study pre- and postnatal developmental processes of different organs such as the liver or the hoof in various mammals.
I use various techniques in my research besides anatomical dissection and maceration. In morphology, I use corrosion casting to demonstrate the branching pattern of blood vessels in the equine hoof or the cat claw. In histology, I use immunohistochemistry to evaluate the keratinization processes in the equine hoof in comparison to these processes in the human fingernail. In embryology, I use series of histologic sections of pig embryos to generate three-dimensional computer models of developing organs such as the brain or larynx.
Recently, I am studying the postnatal development of the equine skull using moprphometric methods to document allometric or isometric growth pattern of the skull.
Besides domestic animals, I have studied the morphology of marine mammals such as the hind limbs in sea lions and the rudimentary dentition in the Bowhead whale fetus.
As a veterinarian and morphologist, I like to collaborate with veterinarians in clinical and pathological research as I have done in the last years in radiology and equine medicine.