OF MUSCULARITY AND ELASTICITY 75 



described. Innumerable fibres are thus joined 

 together to form one muscle, and every muscle is 

 a distinct organ. Of these distinct muscles for 

 the motions of the body there are not less than 

 436 in the human frame, independent of those 

 which perform the internal vital motions. The 

 contractile power, which is in the living muscular 

 fibre, presents appearances which, though famil- 

 iar, are really the most surprising of all the pro- 

 perties of life. Many attempts have been made 

 to explain this property, sometimes by chemical 

 experiment, sometimes on mechanical principles, 

 but always in a manner repugnant to common 

 sense. We must be satisfied with saying, that it 

 is an endowment, the cause of which it would be 

 as vain to investigate as to resume the search into 

 the cause of gravitation. 



The ignorance of the cause of muscular con- 

 traction does not prevent us from studying the 

 laws which regulate it, and under this head are 

 included subjects of the highest interest ; which, 

 however, we must leave, to pursue the mechanical 

 arrangement of the muscles. 



Since we have seen that there are 436 distinct 

 muscles in the body, it is due to our readers to 

 explain how they are associated to effect that com- 

 bination which is necessary to the motion of the 

 limbs and to our perfect enjoyment. In the first 

 place, the million of fibres which constitute a 



