Natural theology, or, Evidences of the existence and attributes of the Deity. Collected from the appearances of nature / [William Paley].
- William Paley
- Date:
- 1847
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Natural theology, or, Evidences of the existence and attributes of the Deity. Collected from the appearances of nature / [William Paley]. Source: Wellcome Collection.
77/418 page 67
![CHAPTER VIII. OP MECHANICAL ARRANGEMENT IN THE HOMAN FRAME. We proceed therefore to propose certain examples taken out of this class ; making choice of such as, amongst those which have come to our knowledge, appear to be the most striking, and the best under- stood ; but obliged, perhaps, to postpone both these recommendations to a third; that of the example being capable of explanation without plates, or figures, or technical language. OP THE BONES. I. I challenge any man to produce, in the joints and pivots of the most complicated or the most flexible machine that was ever contrived, a construction more artificial, or more evidently artificial, than that which is seen in the vertebrae of the human neck. Two things were to be done. The head was to have the power of bending forward and backward, as in the act of nodding, stooping, looking upward or down- ward ; and, at the same time, of turning itself round upon the body to a certain extent, the quadrant we will say, or rather, perhaps, a hundred and twenty degrees, of a circle. For these two purposes two distinct contrivances are employed. First, the head rests immediately upon the uppermost of the ver- tebrae, and is united to it by a hinge-]omt; upon which joint the head plays freely forward and back- ward, as far either way as is necessary, or as the ligaments allow ; which was the first thing required. But then the rotatory motion is unprovided for. Therefore, secondly, to make the head capable of this, a farther mechanism is introduced; not be- F 2](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b22023483_0077.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
