Essays, physiological and philosophical, on the distortion of the spine, the motive power of animals, the fallacy of the senses, and the properties of matter / By C.H. Wilkinson.

Wilkinson, C. H. (Charles Henry), 1763 or 1764-1850.

Date:: 1798

Credit: Essays, physiological and philosophical, on the distortion of the spine, the motive power of animals, the fallacy of the senses, and the properties of matter / By C.H. Wilkinson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

54/214 (page 36)

$. thane») The Spine of the Scapula from the fore feet meafurts 54 inches, fo that58}— 54 = 4% inches loft by the curvature of the fore legs: from the acetabulum to the hind feet is 53 inches, fo that nine inches are loft by ‘the’ curvature of the hind legs. In the firft place, I fhall examine what extent ‘of ground an animal formed like Eclipfe could cover with refpeét to his fore legs, fuppofing for the prefent that his hind legs had no flexible powers, were {tiff fupporting-like columns. ] afterwards fhall attempt to invelligate what powers are derived fronr the formation of the pofterior parts, regarding the fore legs as inflexible pillars. By this method of proceeding, I flatter myfelf, by feparately afcertaining their powers, the effeét which would arife from their united efforts may eafily be determined. The {capula in quadrupeds poffeffes a dee of _ motion round its centre much greater than in the 2 human {pecies, or thofe animals who ufetheir fore feet like hands, and confequently have a clavicle, which horfes, dogs, &c. have not. Thus itis, that the mufcles appertaining to the {capula have different attachments in thefe dif- ferent animals; as in the human {pecies the tra pezius arifes from the occipital bone backwards, while in harfes it originates from all the Agamentum colli which is below the rife of the levator humeri proprius: in quadrupeds there are two elevatory mufcles$