36 



THE SKELETON 



sents the same condition. Occasionally aU the cervical spines, with the exception of the second, 

 are non-bifid, and even in the axis the bifurcation is not extensive. In the lower races of men 

 the cervical spines are relatively shorter and more stunted than in Europeans generally and, 

 as a rule, are simple. The only cervical vertebra which presents a bifid spine in all races is the 

 axis; even this may be non-bifid in the Negro, and occasionally in the European. (Owen, 

 Turner, Cunningham.) 



The laminse of the lower cervical vertebrae frequently present posteriorly distinct tubercles 

 from which fasciculi of the multifidus muscle arise. They are usually confined to the sixth 

 and seventh vertebrae, but are fairly frequent on the fifth, and are occasionally seen on the 

 fourth. 



Fig. 40.— Peculiar Thoracic Vertebra. 



An entire costal pit 

 above a half-pit 

 below. In shape the 

 body resembles that 

 of a cervical vertebra 



Usually a half-pit 

 above (sometimes it 

 has a half-pit below) 



Usually an entire pit 

 above. Occasionally 

 this pit is incomplete. 

 The pit on the trans- 

 verse process is usu- 

 ally small 



An entire pit above. 

 None on transverse 

 process, which is 

 small. This is the 

 anti-clinal vertebra 



An entire pit above; 

 no pit on transverse 

 process which is tri- 

 partite; body large. 

 Inferior articular pro- 

 cesses turn lateral- 

 ward as in a lumbar 

 vertebra 



THE THORACIC VERTEBRAE 



The go.neral characters of the thoracic (or dorsal) vertebrae have already 

 been considtTod. Their most distinji^uishinK features are the pits on the trans- 

 verse processes and sides of the bodies for the tubercles and heads of the ribji 

 respectively. 



Peculiar thoracic vertebrae.— Several vertebrae in this series differ from th<^ 

 typical example. The exceptional ones are — the first, ninth, tenth, eleventh, ami 

 twelfth (fig. 40). 



