118 MECHANISM OF THE MUSCLES. 



which pass down to the fingers, while the muscles 

 that pull them are situated out of the way in the arm 

 above, without encumbering the wrist, palms, and de- 

 licate little members upon which they draw. It is 

 like having the water wheel of a manufactory in 

 a separate room, and communicating its power by 

 bands and smaller machinery into the apartments 

 where it is wanted. 



T. Is there any particular wisdom discovered in 

 the structure of a tendon ? 



A. It is the perfection of a rope. We see the 

 reason of its superiority upon mechanical principles, 

 that is, in part we see it, from the higher skill which 

 is employed as to the manner of laying the strands or 

 fibres together, to give it the greatest strength. To 

 understand what is necessary to the strength of a rope 

 or cable, we must learn what has been the object of 

 the improvements and patents in this manufacture. 

 The first process in rope making, is placing the long fi- 

 bres of the hemp side by side, or parallel to one another. 

 The second, is spinning the hemp into yarns. And 

 here the principle must be attended to, which goes 

 through the whole process in forming a cable ; 

 which is, that the fibres of the hemp shall bear an 

 equal strain. The third, is making the strands. The 

 last step of the process is forming the strands into 

 ropes. The difficulty of the art has been to make 

 them bear alike, especially in great cables, and this 

 has been the object in patent machinery. In the 

 twisting of the yarns, and then of the strands, those 

 which are on the outer surface must be more strecthed 



