File:The hand - its mechanism and vital endowments, as evincing design, and illustrating the power, wisdom, and goodness of God (1874) (14801996583).jpg

Identifier: handitsmechanism1874bell (find matches)
Title: The hand : its mechanism and vital endowments, as evincing design, and illustrating the power, wisdom, and goodness of God
Year: 1874 (1870s)
Authors: Bell, Charles, Sir, 1774-1842 Shaw, Alexander, 1804-1890
Subjects: Hand Intelligent design (Teleology) Hand Religious Philosophies Biological Evolution Evolution
Publisher: London : G. Bell
Contributing Library: Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine
Digitizing Sponsor: Open Knowledge Commons and Harvard Medical School

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onsequently, its obliquityin reference to the radius and ulna, the two bones ofthe fore-arm, the power of the muscle inserted (at c)into the olecranon, is increased. On the whole, bothpower and elasticity are gained by this position of thesuperior bones of the fore-leg. It gives to the animalthat springs, a larger stretch in throwing himselfforwards, and a greater security, by a soft descent of hisweight. A man, standing upright, cannot leap or startoff at once; he must first sink down, and bring thebones of his extremities to an angle. But the antelope,or other timid animals of the class, can leap at once, orstart off in their course without preparation—anotheradvantage of the oblique position of their bones w^henat rest. These sketches with the pen are from the skeletonsof the elephant and the camel: and it is obvious thatthe leg of the former is built for the purpose of sus-taining the huge bulk of the animal, whilst in the camelthere is a perfect contrast. Were we to compare the
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CHAP. III. ANATOMY OF THE CLAVICLE. 63 bones of the larger animal with any style of architec-ture, it would be with the Egyptian; or rather, fromtheir huge and shapeless form, and being piled overeach other, as if destined more to sustain weight thanto permit motion, they might be likened to theunwrought masonry in the Cyclopian walls of someancient city. We further perceive, from the comparison of thesesketches, that if the humerus be placed obhquely, itmust necessarily be short; otherwise the leg would bethrown too far back, making the head and neck projectinordinately. It is one of the points of a horse tohave the humerus short. And not only all animals olspeed, but birds of long flight, as the swallow, have thehumerus short. This is owing, I tliink, to anothercircumstance, that the shorter the humerus, the quickerwill be the extension of the wing: for as the furtherextremity of the bone, when short, will move in a lesserckcle, the gyration will be more rapid. If we continue this c

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