280 APPENDIX. 



en leg. Whereas, by this arrangement, the foot acts as a 

 Fig. 130. lever ; and by the action 



of the muscles, lets the 

 weight of the body come 

 down gradually to the 

 ground. 



But notwithstanding 

 these easy motions of the 

 foot, the whole becomes 

 exceedingly firm, and fix- 

 ed, when the weight of the body bears directly upon it ; so 

 that the bones of the leg will be fractured, before those 

 of the foot will be displaced, or will yield in the least. 



With respect to the action of the muscles connected 

 with the foot, which are concerned in supporting the bo- 

 dy in the upright position, Sir Charles Bell speaks as fol- 

 io ws : 



" The posture of a soldier under arms, when his heels 

 are close together, and his knees straight, is a condition 

 of painful restraint. Observe then the change in his bo- 

 dy and limbs, when he is ordered to " stand at ease ;" 

 the gun falls against his relaxed arms, the right knee is 

 thrown out, and the tension of the ankle joint of the same 

 leg is relieved ; whilst he looses an inch and a half of 

 his height, and sinks down upon the left hip. This com- 

 mand to " stand at ease," has a higher authority than 

 the general order. It is a natural relaxation of the mus- 

 cles, which are consequently relieved from a painful 

 state of exertion : and the weight of the body then bears 

 so upon the lower extremities, as to support the joints 

 independently of muscular effort. The advantage of 

 this will be understood, when we consider that all the 

 muscular effort is made at the expense of a living pow- 

 er, which, if excessive, w r ill exhaust the man ; whilst the 

 position of rest we are describing, is without effort, and 

 therefore gives perfect relief. And it is this which 

 makes boys and girls, who are out of health and languid, 

 lounge too much in the position of relief, from whence 

 comes permanent distortion." 



The standing position is as firm as possible, when the 

 two feet, directed forwards on two parallel lines, are 

 separated by a space equal to one of them. If the base 

 of support is enlarged in a lateral direction, by separa- 



