(IS IMlYMnl.uiJY OF MTSCLKS AND NF.KVIX 



;ill(l that (lie force (lie ten-ion exercised by (lie mu-cles 

 (pf the cult' acts obliquely on the lever. It is of onir-e 

 impossible to del ermine the diamet i-r in a living man; 

 it must be observed in a dead body of about the same 

 >i/e as that of (he person e\i)erimented on. 



Ib-nke aUo lias lately determined the valuo of t he- 

 absolute force of human muscle. He used the flexor 

 muscles of the forearm (of. tii(. 2'. } >) to del ermine \}\\<. 

 In the tigure, a represents the upper arm. l> the fore- 

 arm (he former heinj in a ver- 

 tical, the latter in a horixontal 

 position; c represents the muscles 

 which raise or bend the forearm. 

 (There are in reality two of these 

 muscles, .17. /mv//x and .17. l>rn- 

 rlinili* intemus). Supposing thai 



the muscles are >( retched, and 

 weights are placed on (he hand 

 It till (he muscles are no longer ca- 



I'n. .-_'::. DI.\I;I:AM <>r THK pable of raising the hand, then, 



FLEXOB^IUSCLES UF THE j ug1 as Jn t lu / ( , N , ,,-j , , ,e,,( S will, 



the- miiM-les of fn>;s, eipiipoise is 



olitained be(ween (he ( endeiicv of the muscle (o con- 

 tract ami 1 he weight carried. Care mus(, however, be 

 taken tha( (he muscles act on a lon^ lexer arm, the 

 weight on a short one, and the weight of the forearm 

 itself mii-t also be taken inlo considera) ion. Due at- 

 tention, beinir ^iven to al! these circumstances, and to 

 the diameter of the musc!e< when drawn into action, 

 Ib-nke calculated that the absolute force in human 



mii-cle j- eijiial to from >i\ to ei^ht kilogrammes. 1*A- 



pei inieiil in^- in a similar \\ay on the feet, he found 

 somewhat louer figures in that case. \Veher, lio\\e\cr, 



