882 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



times %vith double tendons, some- 

 times with treble tendons, sometimes 

 with none; sometimes one tendon 

 to several muscles, at other times 

 one muscle to several tendons. The 

 shape of the organ is susceptible of 

 an incalculable variety, whilst the 

 original property of the muscle, 

 the law and line of its contraction, 

 ]-(Mnains the same; and is simple. 

 Herein the muscular system may be 

 said to bear a perfect resemblance (o 

 our works of art. An artist does 

 not alter the native quality of his 

 materials, or their laws of adion. 

 tie tak'cs these as he finds them. 

 His skill and ingennity are employ- 

 ed in turning them, such as they 

 arc, to his account, by giving to the 

 parts of his machine a form and re- 

 lation, in which these unalterable 

 properties may operate to the pro- 

 duction of the elfei'ts intended. 



6. The ejaculations can never too 

 often be repeated. IIow mai\y tilings 

 must go right for us to be an hour 

 at ease! IIow many more to be vi- 

 .gorous and ax'^ivc! Yet vigour and 

 activity are, in a vast plurality of 

 instances, preserved in human bo- 

 dies, notwithstanding that they de- 

 pend upon so great a number of in- 

 struments of motion, and notwith- 

 standing that the defeat or disorder 

 Sometimes of a very small instru- 

 ment, of a siugle pair, for instance, 

 out of the four hundred and forty- 

 six muscles Avhich are employed, 

 may be attended with grievous in- 

 eonveniency. There is piety and 

 good sense in the following obser- 

 vation taken out of the K'eligious 

 riiilosopher : " With much com- 

 passion," says this writer, " as 

 well as astonishment at the good- 

 ness of our. Loving. Creator, have I 

 considered the sad state of a cer- 

 tain gentleman, who, as to the rest, 

 was, in pretty good health, but only 



wanted the use ©f these two litfla 

 muscles that serve to lift up the eye- 

 lids, and so had almost lost the use 

 of his sight, being forced, as long 

 as this defect lasted, to shove up his 

 eye lids every moment with his own 

 hands !" In general, we may re- 

 mark how little those who enjoy th« 

 perfc(it use of their organs, know 

 the comprehensiveness of the bles- 

 sing, the variety of their obligation. 

 They perceive a result, but they 

 think little of the multitude of con- 

 currences aiul rectitudes which go 

 to form it. 



lieside these observation!?, which 

 belong to the muscular organ as 

 such, we may notice some advan- 

 tages of structure wliich are more 

 conspicuous in muscles of a certain 

 class or description than in others. 

 Thus, 



1. The variety, quickness, and 

 precision of which muscular motion 

 is capable, are seen, I think, in no 

 part so remarkably as in the tongue. 

 It is worth any man's while to watch 

 the agility of his tongue; the w^on- 

 dcrful promptitude with which it 

 executes changes of position, and 

 the perfect exactness. Each sylla- 

 ble of articulated sound requires for 

 its utterance a specific adtfion of the 

 tongue, and of parts adjacent to it. 

 The disposition and contiguration of 

 the mouth, appertaining to c\o.Tf 

 letter and word, is not only pecu- 

 liar, but, if nicely and accurately 

 attended to, perceptible to the 

 sight ; insomuch that curious per- 

 sons have availed themselves of this 

 circinnstance to teach the dumb to 

 speak, and to understand what is 

 said by others. In the same per- 

 son, and after his habit of speaking 

 is formed, oise, and only one posi- 

 tion of the parts will produce a 

 given articulate sound corre6tly. 

 How instantaneously are these posi- 

 tions 



