Längsschnitt

Längsschnitt is a term used to describe a view or cut that runs along the length of an object, revealing its internal structure from the front to the back rather than across it. It is the longitudinal counterpart to a Querschnitt (cross-section), which is cut perpendicular to the main axis.

The concept is widely used in several fields. In anatomy and medicine, a longitudinal section of a body part or organ shows features arranged along the long axis, such as layers of tissue or the course of vessels and nerves along a limb. In botany, longitudinal sections of stems, roots, or leaves reveal the arrangement of tissues like epidermis, cortex, vascular bundles, and pith. In geology, paleontology and materials science, longitudinal cuts help examine growth, grain, layering, or defects along the length of a specimen such as a wood log, bone, or metal rod.

Preparation and use: Längsschnitte are produced with cutting tools appropriate to the material, often followed by mounting and staining for microscopic examination. The orientation is defined relative to the object's main axis, and the resulting image or specimen emphasizes longitudinal relationships and structures.

Etymology: The term combines längs, meaning along or longitudinal, with Schnitt, meaning cut.

See also: Querschnitt, Tangentialschnitt, Radialschnitt.