84 THE HUMAN BODY. 



is for the apes far more fatiguing, and so they cannot long 

 maintain that position. 



The human spinal column, gradually widening from the 

 neck to t-he sacrum, is well fitted to sustain the weight of the 

 head, upper limbs, etc., carried by it; and its curvatures, 

 which are peculiarly human, give it considerable elasticity 

 combined with strength. The pelvis, to the sides of which 

 the lower limbs are attached, is proportionately very broad in 

 man, so that the balance can be more readily maintained 

 during lateral bending of the trunk. The arched instep and 

 broad sole of the human foot are also very characteristic. 

 The majority of four-footed beasts, as horses, walk on the 

 tips of their toes and fingers; and those animals, as bears and 

 apes, which like man place the tarsus also on the ground, or in 

 technical language are plantigrade, have a much less marked 

 arch there. The vaulted human tarsus, composed of a num- 

 ber of small bones, each of which can glide a little over its 

 neighbors, but none of which can move much, is admirably 

 calculated to break any jar which might be transmitted to 

 the spinal column by the contact of the sole with the ground 

 at each step. A well-arched instep is therefore rightly con- 

 sidered a beauty; it makes progression easier, and by its 

 springiness gives elasticity to the step. In London flat-footed 

 candidates for appointment as policemen are rejected, as they 

 cannot stand the fatigue of walking the daily " beat/' 



