MECHANISM OF THE FRAME. 187 



gases, heat, light, electricity, or galvanism, which 

 are aroiind it. Without these, the intellectual prin- 

 ciple could receive no impulse — could have no 

 agency and no relation to the material world. The 

 whole body must gravitate or have weight ; with- 

 out which it could neither stand securely, nor ex- 

 ert its powers on the bodies around it. But for 

 this, muscular power itself, and all the apphances 

 which are related to that power, would be useless. 

 When, therefore, it is affirmed that organization 

 or construction is necessary to life, we may at 

 least pause in giving assent, under the certainty 

 that we see another and a different reason for the 

 construction of the body. Thus we perceive, that 

 as the body must have weight to have power, so 

 must it have mechanical contrivance, or arrange- 

 ment of its parts. As it must have weight, so must 

 it be sustained by a skeleton ; and when we exa- 

 mine the bones, which give the body height and 

 shape, we find each column (for in that sense a 

 bone may be first taken) adjusted with the finest 

 attention to the perpendicular weight that it has 

 to bear, as well as to the lateral thrusts to which 

 it is subject in the motions of the body. 



The bones also are as levers, on the most accu- 

 rate mechanical principles. And whilst these 

 bones are necessary to give firmness and strength 

 to the frame, it is admirable to observe, that one 

 bone never touches another; but a fine elastic 

 material, the cartilage, intervenes betwixt their 

 ends, the effect of which is to give a very consi- 



