BODY OF THE HOUSE. 57 



motion, at least of the lower limbs. If the 

 spine gets broken, it cannot be mended, and 

 the sufferer will never wholly recover. How 

 happy, then, that it is so contrived, as rarely to 

 be broken, or dislocated ! 



The other and shorter posts of the " house" 

 will be mentioned presently. 



We are ready, now, to study the frame of 

 the upper or second story of the building. It 

 consists of a much greater number and variety 

 of parts than the frame of the first story. 



THE RIBS. The ribs may be compared to 

 the girts of a building ; though they look more 

 like the hoops of a cask than like girts. There 

 are twelve of them on each side. Each of 

 them is connected, by one of its ends, to the 

 large post, or spine ; and, by the other, to a 

 shorter post the breast bone. Only seven, 

 however, are joined closely to the breast bone 

 itself. The other five go a part of the way 

 across ; the rest of the way they are formed of 

 gristle or cartilage. The former are sometimes 

 called the true ribs ; the latter, the false ones. 

 Here is a view of this part of the frame. 



