RoyAL SOCIETVJ 337 
which are naturally diftinft from each other, were here fo ftraiaht- 
ly and intimately conjoined, their ligaments fo perfe6tly bony, 
and their articulations lb effaced, that they really made but one 
uniform continuous bone ^ the roots of all the ribs made but one 
equal fmooth and plain furface with the Vertehr<e and their apo~ 
phyfes ; the oblique apophyfes of all the VertehVdS, were fo con- 
founded and loll, that it was not pofTtble to oblerve any marks (;f 
them 5 the cartilaginous edge of the Vertehrae themielves was be- 
come perfe£t bone. ^ Upon lawing two of the Vertebrae afunder at 
the commiffure, this uniting of their parts did not enter above two 
lines deep, and their middles were feparated, as they ufually are, 
and touched each other only at the edges 5 on the left fide at half 
a fingers breadth from the Vertehr<ie^ two ribs were joined toge- 
ther for the fpace of an inch, and afterwards ran feparated and pa- 
rallel, like the reft, to the Sternum. The figure of this trunk 
was crooked, making partly a circle, the S^iride forming the con- 
vex, and the inflde of the Vertehrce-, the concave part of this i^g- 
menu 5 the direction of the ribs was unnatural 5 for inltead of ter- 
minating at the Sternum in parallel fcmicircles, nearly horizontal, 
their extremities, where they reached the Sternum inclined fo 
much towards the Byfogajlrium^ as to touch the fides of the OJfci 
ilium. This trunk fecmed to be of a grown perfon, the bones 
being of a proportion and thicknefs equal to thole of old men ^ 
the Verteh'de of the loins were larger than thofe of the back, as 
they naturally are, there was no unnatural bunching out 5 they 
were conjoined together very regularly, no one Vertebra ftanding 
out beyond the other, either before, behind, or on the fides 5 the 
cavity for the fpinal marrow had no other fault than its crooked 
figure 5 the bones of the Os \Pubis w^r^ feparated as ulaal3 the 
locket or cavity of the laft fpurious rib on the right fide, being 
Imooth and poli/lied, ieemed as if that rib had not been 16 firm- 
ly united as the reft. 
From this conflru6tion of the parts, it necefTarily follows, that 
the body of this perlbn muft have been immoveable j that he could 
neither bend, or ftretch himfelf our, neither rile up, or lie 
down, nor turn upon his fide, having orjy the head feet and hands 
moveable. If it be objected, thatrcfpiration could not be perfor- 
med, when the ribs were thus immoveable, this difficulty may 
be obviated by obferving how little morion of the breift is ne- 
cefTary to continue the circulation of the blood thro' the lungs, as 
is vifible in hyilerick fits, ^c. Again, the ribs of this ir.cieton, 
tho' fixed at the centre, might yet be moved at the extremities, 
and fo the thorax be enlarged by a much lefs force than that of 
the mufcles ufed for that purpofe^ befides, the diaphragm, the 
Vol. III. S chief 
