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fifth bone of the same character is articulated in a much more 
free and moveable manner than the others, with its carpal 
bone, and forms the base of the thumb. These are called 
metacarpal bones, and they carry the phalanges, or bones of 
the digits, of which there are two in the thumb, and three in 
each of the fingers. 
The skeleton of the foot is very like that of the hand in 
some respects. Thus there are three phalanges in each of the 
lesser toes, and only two in the great toe, which answers to 
the thumb. There is a long bone, termed metatarsal, 
answering to the metacarpal, for each digit; and the tarsus 
which corresponds with the carpus, presents four short poly- 
gonal bones in a row, which correspond very closely with the 
four carpal bones of the second row of the hand. In other 
respects the foot differs very widely from the hand. Thus 
the great toe is the longest digit but one; and its metatarsal 
is far less moveably articulated with the tarsus, than the 
metacarpal of the thumb with the carpus. But a far more 
important distinction lies in the fact that, instead of four 
more tarsal bones there are only three; and that these three 
are not arranged side by side, or in one row. One of them, the 
os calcis or heel bone (ca), lies externally, and sends back the 
large projecting heel; another, the astragalus (as), rests on 
this by one face, and by another, forms, with the bones of the 
leg, the ankle joint; while a third face, directed forwards, is 
separated from the three inner tarsal bones of the row next 
the metatarsus by a bone called the scaphoid (sc). 
Thus there is a fundamental difference in the structure of 
the foot and the hand, observable when the carpus and the 
tarsus are contrasted; and there are differences of degree 
noticeable when the proportions and the mobility of the 
metacarpals and metatarsals, with their respective digits, are 
compared together. . 
The same two classes of differences become obvious when 
the muscles of the hand are compared with those of the 
foot. 
