File:The hand - its mechanism and vital endowments, as evincing design, and illustrating the power, wisdom, and goodness of God (1874) (14595421640).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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the strengthof his loins and hinder extremities; it is the action ofthe muscles situated there, which propels him forwards,in the gallop or at the leap. We accordingly perceivethat if the anterior extremities had been joined to thetrunk firmly, as by a clavicle, that bone could not havewithstood the shock from the descent of the wholeweight of the animal when thrown forwards. Eventhough the fore legs had been formed as powerful asthe posterior extremities, they would have sufferedfracture or dislocation. We cannot but admire, there-fore, this provision, in all quadrupeds whose speed isgreat and spring extensive, for diminishing the shockof descending, and giving an elasticity to the anteriorextremities. * The serratus magnus, attached extensively to the ribs near the breast-bone,ascends convergingly to the upper border of the scapula, near the -withers. 58 COMPARATIVE ANATOMY In observing the relative position of the bones of theanterior extremity in the horse, we shall perceive that
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the scapula is oblique to the chest; the humerusoblique to the scapula; and the bones of the fore-armat an angle with the humerus. Were these bonesarranged in a straight line, end to end, the shock ofalighting would be conveyed as through a solid column;and the bones of the foot, or the joints, would sufferfrom the concussion. AVhen the rider is thrownforwards on his hands, and more certainly when he ispitched on his shoulder, the collar bone is broken,because in man, this bone forms the link of connexionbetween the shoulder and the trunli, and it accordingly CHAP. III. OF THE CLAVICLE. 59 receives the whole shock. Now the same would happenin the horse, the stag, and all quadrupeds of greatstrength and swiftness, were not the scapulse sustainedby muscles, in place of bone; and did not the bonesrecoil and fold up. The horse-jockey runs his hand down the horsesneck, in. a knowing way, and says, this horse has gota heavy shoulder; he is a slow horse ! He may beright, and yet not understa

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