INVESTIGATING ORGANIC FORMS. 215 



the symphysis of the lower jaw the lower part of the 

 chin ; the upper part of the dorsal vertebrae ; the tip of 

 the shoulder upper end of the humerus (showing also the 

 breadth) ; the upper part of the sternum and average posi- 

 tion of the upper parietes ; the middle of the dorsal region 

 sixth and seventh dorsal vertebrae ; the nipple in the female ; 

 the upper part of the lumbar, and lower part of the dorsal 

 region ; the exact position of the elbow-joint ; the upper part 

 of the pelvis the haunch-bones ; the lower edge of the last 

 lumbar vertebrae ; the upper part of the sacrum ; the line so 

 long familiar to artists as dividing the body and correspond- 

 ing with the upper part of the pelvis ; the tip of the longest 

 finger a remarkable feature in drawing the body ; and the 

 upper end of the tibia, one-fourth of the body. 



Undoubtedly, in all organic bodies, as they had seen in a few 

 examples, certain geometrical principles would be discovered, 

 and though Mr. Hay's diagram was artificial and empirical, 

 because it had been used empirically in the meantime, yet it 

 gave correctly all the parts. 



Mr. Hay had at first proceeded by following theoretical 

 views. He believed the human body to be beautiful, and to 

 give pleasure artistically because it included certain symme- 

 trical and geometrical forms. 



His investigations were limited at first to the human head, 

 the anterior part of which he had found to be spheroidal, and 

 the posterior, seen from the side, from above, and from below, 

 to be included in a sphere and oblate spheroid, formed by the 

 revolution of a circle and an ellipse. These figures enclosed 

 certain triangles. The triangle of the circle was a right-angled 

 isosceles triangle ; the triangle of the ellipse a right-angled 

 scalene. They varied, according to their peculiar character, 

 within certain limits. 



With these views he had been able, by continuing the 

 system of geometrical construction, which he had found sue- 



