LOCOMOTION 



339 



But for reasons of mutual benefit and recreation the workman 

 must sit with his friends during his hours of rest. 



The attitudes adopted in certain sports, such as boxing and 

 fencing, modify the position of the centre of gravity ( l ) subject 

 to the principle of the equal distribution of masses ( 20). Such 

 attitudes also aim at effecting an increase in the area of the base 

 of support. Obviously the person who adopts, or who naturally 

 possesses the largest base of support, will stand the firmest on his 

 feet, and will be able to make the widest movements without 

 losing his balance. 



Men carrying heavy loads (vide fig. 238) , very fat men, hunch - 



backs, men bent with age, and pregnant women have the centre 



of gravity of their bodies displaced owing to their additional 



burdens. 



This point of view is seldom overlooked by artists. Harless and 



Meyer found that the 



centre of gravity is lower 



in woman than in man. In 



pregnancy the whole lumbar 



region is thrown backwards 



to counterpoise the weight 



of the uterus. Obviously 



the maximum inclination 



which the body can assume 



when the heels are together 



is less than that which is 'c. 238. 



possible when the heels are separated (vide fig. 239). 



In a similar way, in order to maintain balance, the " hunch- 

 back " throws him- 

 self slightly back- 

 wards, the fat man 

 twists as he walks, 

 and to reduce the 

 amount of this turn- 

 ing he stiffens him- 

 self and takes short 

 steps, or the aged 

 man has recourse to 

 a stick. In all these 

 cases the effort made 

 is appreciable and 

 causes compara- 

 tively rapid fatigue. 



FIG* 239. 



Displacements of the line of gravity of the body 

 (after Braune and Fischer) . 



( x ) Braune and Fischer (loc. cit,). 

 October 10th, 1887). 



Demeny (Comptes Rendus de Sciences, 



