BONES AND JOINTS OF THE EXTREMITIES 63 



reaching from A to B, drawn, as we have said, 

 by the weight of the body, is equivalent to the 

 exertion of the muscles, braces the knee-joint, 

 and extends the leg ; and we have before seen 

 that the extension of the leg fixes the ankle-joint. 

 Thus the limb is made a firm pillar under the 

 weight of the body, without muscular effort. 



When the human figure is left to its natural 

 attitudes, we see a variety and contrast in the 

 position of the trunk and limbs. 



This position of the body resting on the lower 

 extremities throws the trunk into an elegant line, 

 and places the limbs in beauti- 

 ful contrast, as we see in all 

 the best specimens of sculp- 

 ture. See Fig. 15, 



Now that we have under- 

 stood that the lower extrem- 

 ity becomes in some positions 

 a firm pillar, it is the more 

 necessary to observe the par- 

 ticular form of the head of the 

 thighbone (Fig. 16). 



It is here seen that the head 

 of the bone A stands off from 

 the shaft by the whole length 

 of the neck of the bone B ; the 

 effect of this is, that as the powerful muscles are 

 attached to the knobs of bone C D, they turn the 



FIG. 16. 



