OP THE EXTERIOR MUSCLES. 447 



conformity with that of the hones, which are always to be 

 moved, several of them simultaneously. 



719. The muscles of the skeleton, and these are the most 

 numerous, have their two extremities attached to the perioste- 

 um and to the surface of the bones by tendons or aponeuroses. 

 The muscles of the larynx are attached in the same manner, 

 to the cartilages and perichondrium. The muscles which ex- 

 tend from the skeleton to the organs of sense, and are inserted 

 into cartilages, are besides provided with tendons at both ex- 

 tremities ; those which are attached to the teguments are, on 

 the contrary, destitute of tendons at their insertion in the der- 

 mis. 



Besides the tendons and aponeuroses of attachment which 

 are found at the extremities of most of the muscles, some of 

 them also present tendons or aponeuroses of intersection, which 

 occupy some point of their extent, and divide them into seve- 

 ral fleshy bodies. Of this description are the maxillar digas- 

 tric and cervical digastric muscles, which are divided, by ten- 

 dons, into two very distinct bodies; such are also the sterno- 

 hyoideus, scapulo-hyoideus, the rectus abdominis, &c. the 

 fleshy body of which is divided by aponeuroses. 



720. In a great many of the muscles the fibres are straight, 

 and obviously parallel from one end to the other. In several 

 muscles, the fleshy fibres, all parallel, extend obliquely be- 

 tween two aponeurotic tendons expanded on two opposite 

 faces of the fleshy body; such is the cruralis anticus. It was 

 muscles of this description, without doubt, that induced Gas- 

 sendi to compare the muscles generally to a tackle of pullies. 

 Other muscles are radiated, as the great pectoralis major, and 

 the latissimus dorsi, the fibres of which, while spread at their 

 origin, are collected into a thick bundle towards their inser- 

 tion; as the glutaeus medius, and glutaeus minimus, whose 

 fibres terminate successively on an aponeurotic expansion. 

 In others, the fibres are extended thus obliquely from their 

 origin from a bone to the side of a tendon: these muscles are 

 called semi-pennate; of this description are the peronae. 

 Others are pennated, the fibres passing obliquely on the two 

 sides of a tendon; in some others, very analogous to these 

 5S 



