II MAN AND GORILLA 101 



In Man, in consequence partly of the disposition 

 of the articular surfaces of the vertebrae, and 

 largely of the elastic tension of some of the fibrous 

 bands, or ligaments, which connect these vertebrae 

 together, the spinal column, as a whole, has an 

 elegant S-like curvature, being convex forwards 

 in the neck, concave in the back, convex in the 

 loins, or lumbar region, and concave again in the 

 sacral region ; an arrangement which gives much 

 elasticity to the whole backbone, and diminishes 

 the jar communicated to the spine, and through 

 it to the head, by locomotion- in the erect 

 position. 



Furthermore, under ordinary circumstances, 

 Man has seven vertebrae in his neck, which are 

 called cervical ; twelve succeed these, bearing ribs 

 and forming the upper part of the back, whence 

 they are termed dorsal ; five lie in the loins, 

 bearing no distinct, or free, ribs, and are called 

 lumbar ; five, united together into a great bone, 

 excavated in front, solidly wedged in between the 

 hip bones, to form the back of the pelvis, and 

 known by the name of the sacrum, succeed these ; 

 and finally, three or four little more or less 

 movable bones, so small as to be insignificant, 

 constitute the coccyx or rudimentary tail. 



In the Gorilla, the vertebral column is similarly 

 divided into cervical, dorsal, lumbar, sacral, and 

 coccygeal vertebrae, and the total number of 

 cervical and dorsal vertebrae, taken together, is 



