R E C 



R E C 



of one fide, rifting fingly, indines the head towards its own 

 fide. 



Rectus cafilh InUrnus minor, or reftus anticus minor, tra- 

 cheli-fou5-occipitien ; a fmall mufcle of the head, lying under 

 the hift, fhort, narrow, and flattened, and extending fro;n 

 the atlas to the occiput. It is covered in front by the 

 reftus internus major, the internal carotid artery, and 

 the great fympathetic nerve : behind it covers the capfule 

 of the articulation between the atlas and occiput. The 

 outer and inner edges prefent nothing remarkable. Its 

 lower extremity is fixed to the anterior Uirface of the lateral 

 portion of the atlas, and to the neighbouring part of its 

 tranfverfe proccfs. Thence it afcends, increafiag fouiewhat 

 in fize, and inclined a little inwards, and is fixed to the 

 under furface of the bafilary procefs of the occiput, be- 

 hind and a little on the outlide of the reftus internus major, 

 and to the cartilaginous mafs filling the fpace between the 

 occipital and .temporal bones. It has aponeurofes at its 

 extremities, and very fliort mufcular fibres between thefe. 



Its a£lion on the head is exactly the iame with that of the 

 reftus internus major. 



Rectus cnpitu lateralis, le premier tranfverfaire anterieur 

 Winflow, atlo'i'do-maftoidien, petit droit lateral ; a fmall 

 mufcle of the head, fituated at the upper and lateral part of 

 the neck, flattened and quadrilateral, reaching from the 

 tranfverfe procefs of the atlas to the occiput. It is covered 

 in front by the internal jugular vein ; and it covers behind 

 the vertebral artery. The two edges prefent nothing re- 

 markable. Below it is fixed to the front of the upper fur- 

 face of the tranfverfe procefs of the atlas : thence it afcends 

 a little outwards, and is attached above to the rougli impreflion 

 behind the jugular foffa. It is mufcular, except jull at the 

 attachments, which are tendinous. Its aftion, like that of 

 the two lalt mufcles, is to rcitore the head, when it has been 

 bent backwards ; to bend it forwards ; and, when one mufcle 

 afls fingly, toinchncit laterally. 



Rectus capitis pojUcus major, axoVdo-occipitien ; a muf- 

 cle of the head, of a triangular flattened figure, placed at 

 the upper and back part of the neck, and extending from 

 the fpinous procefs of the fecond cervical vertebra to the 

 occiput. Its polterior furface is covered by the complexus, 

 and above by the obliquus fuperior capitis ; the anterior 

 furface covers the pollerior arch of the atlas, the rectus 

 pofticus minor, and the occiput. The inferior extremity, 

 narrow, and almoll pointed, is attached to the fpinous 

 procefs of the fecond cervical vertebra, thence it afcends, 

 direfted outwards, and a little backwards, and gradually 

 increafing in breadtli, to be inferted in the inferior furface 

 of the occiput, at about an equal dillance from the great 

 external tranfverfe rijge, and the foramen magnum, be- 

 tween the complexus, the obliquus fuperior, and the redlus 

 poiUcui minor. The extremities alone are tendinous ; the 

 reft being mufcular. It rellores the head, when it has 

 been bent forwards ; and carries it back on the vertebral 

 column. When one mufcle aifls fingly, it will have the 

 power, from the oblique direction of its fibres, of rotating 

 the head, fo as to turn the face towards its own fide. 



Rectus capitis pojiicus minor, atloido-occipitien ; a 

 fmall flattened mufcle with radiated fibres, and confequently 

 a triangular figure, placed at the upper and back part of 

 the neck, extending from the atlas to the occiput, and 

 lying with its fellow in the interval between the two 

 recti majores. Its pofterior furface is inclined downwards 

 and covered by the complexus ; the anterior furface cor- 

 refponds to the occiput, and to the interval between it and 

 the atlas. The lower extremity is the narrowell part, and 

 13 fixed to the roi:gh imprefilon in the middle of the pof- 

 5 



terior furface of the pofterior arc of the atiau : it afcends 

 parallel to the oppofitc mufcle and dire£ted backwards, and 

 is fixed to the external furface of the occipital bone at a 

 Ciort dittance from the foramen magnum. It raifcs the 

 head when bent forwards ; and extends it or carries it back 

 on the neck. 



Rectus cruris, reftus extenfor or anterior cruris, droit 

 ou grcle anterieur, ilco-rotulien ; a mufcle of the thigh, 

 long and fiat, broad in the middle, and narrow towards its 

 extremities, occupying the middle and front part of the 

 limb, and reaching from the anterior and inferior fjjine of 

 the ihum to the patella. It is covered in front by the 

 iliacus internus, the fartorius, and the fafcia lata ; behind 

 it covers the orbicular ligament of the hip, the great ex- 

 tenfors of the knee, and the external or anterior circumllL\ 

 veiTels. The outer and inner margins of the mufcle are ui.- 

 attached in their upper three-fourths ; they are confounded, 

 in their lower fourth, with the extenfors of the knee. 



The fuperior extremity of the redlus cruris prefents two 

 tendons, one of which is llraight, the other curved. The 

 former is fixed to the anterior and inferior fpine of the Oo 

 innominatum : the latter, curved from before backwards,, 

 and from above downwards, is fixed to the outer furface o' 

 the OS innominatum for about an inch, immediately above 

 the edge of the acetabulum. From this upper attachmeni 

 the inufcle defcends vertically in front of the thigh, grow- 

 ing broader to the middle of the limb ; it then becomes 

 narrow towards the lower part, and is fixed to the bafis 

 of the patella. 



The redus is tendinous at its extremities, and flelhy in 

 the middle. The upper tendon has been already defcribed 

 as divided into two portions ; the anterior of thefe, at- 

 tached to the anterior and inferior fpine of the os innomi- 

 natum, is the thickeft and fiiorteft, and has the fame direc- 

 tion as^ the mufcle ; the other is longer and curved, and de- 

 taches fome fibres to ftrengthen the orbicular ligament of 

 the hip. The two portions foon unite in a common tendon ; 

 this fpreads out into a broad aponeurofis, which defcends 

 about four inches on the front of the mufcle, and then dips 

 into its fubftar.ce. The inferior tenden is broad and flat, 

 and rifes from the bafis of the patella ; its pofterior furface 

 is united to the great extenfors of the knee, and the edges 

 are ftrongly connected to the vaftus externus and internus. 

 It is broad at the patella, grows a little narrower as it 

 rifes, then fpreads out again, and forms a broad apo- 

 neurofis, covering the back of the mufcle above its 

 middle. The fuperficial fibres of this tendon defcend over 

 the front of the patella, to which they are ftrongly united, 

 and are loft below in the tendon which unites this bone to 

 the tibia. The mufcular fibres arc placed very obliquely 

 between the fuperior and inferior tendons : they cover the 

 back of the firft up to the part where its two portions 

 feparate; and they defcend on the front of the fecond to 

 within two inches of the patella. 



It extends the knee-joint, either by bringing the leg for- 

 wards upon the thigh, or the thigh upon the leg, according 

 as the one or the other part is rendered a fixed point. If the 

 knee be extended, or firmly retained in the bent pofition 

 by its flexor mufcles, the rettus may bend the thigh upon 

 the pelvis : when the leg and thigh are fixed, it can bend 

 the pelvis forwards upon the latter, as in the attitude of 

 ftooping to pick up any object from the ground. In the 

 erect attitude it prevents the pelvis from inchning bark- 

 wards ; and reftores it when it has been carried in that direc- 

 tion. 



Rectus in curia, in Laiu, one who ftands at the bar, 

 and no man objedts any thing againft him, 



Whea 



