OF MAN. 43 



of exerting : but this position of foot allows of much quicker motions 

 than what otherwise could take place, and likewise allows of those easy 

 graceful lateral motions, that they practice, from the base being enlarged 

 laterally; and it does not in the least hinder the perpendicular spring. 

 These observations I was led to, from an accident which produced 

 that weakness in me that attends children, — which was a rupture of the 

 ' tendo Achillis ; ' for, before the tendon had sufficient strength to raise 

 my heels, so as to raise myself upon my toes, I was obliged to turn my 

 toes out, to avoid the pain that I had when I acted with my ' gastro- 

 cnemius ' and ' soleus ' muscles, and in this way I could walk tolerably 

 well. 



The Difference between Man and the Monkey. 



The monkey in general may be said to be half beast and half man ; it 

 may be said to be the middle stage. However, there is one thing that 

 makes the monkey come nearer the brute, viz. the toes being similar 

 to fingers. Our toes bear but little resemblance either in size or use to 

 our fingers ; our feet are made for walking upon, but our hands are made 

 for laying hold. The toed brute has its hands and feet made to answer 

 nearly the same purpose ; it walks upon them almost equally, and lays 

 hold of things with both ; and [the limbs] are therefore very like one 

 another. The monkey [is, in this respect], quite the same ; for they use 

 either hand or foot, or either feet, with the same ease. In this circum- 

 stance also the monkey is like the brute ; viz. the fore- and hind-toes are 

 like one another ; but they differ very much from the toes of brutes. 



The monkey cannot bring its body and lower extremities into so 

 straight a line as the human [kind can] ; the foot is not arched, but is 

 a little bent in the contrary direction ; it is longer in proportion, but is 

 not so broad nor so thick, as in Man. The thighs are flattened between 

 the inside and outside; but are broader in the other direction; the 

 joint of the knee is not so straight ; the legs are flattened like the thighs. 

 The joint of the elbow does not extend so far ; the rotation of the 

 radius is not so great. The four extremities are more of a length. The 

 two first bones of the extremities, viz. the humerus and femur, are 

 shorter in proportion to the radius and ulna, or the tibia and fibula. 

 The toes or fingers are narrower laterally, but thicker between the back 

 and fore-parts, which make their nails so much the narrower. The 

 thumb of the hand or fore-foot is not so strong, and has not that opposing 

 motion [in the degree which man's has]; some [monkeys] want this 

 altogether [fore-thumb] 1 . The thumb of the foot is not at all like that 



1 [See Ogilby, " On the Opposable Power of the Thumb in certain Mammals," 

 &c.. Proceedings of the Zoological Society, vol. iv. p. 25.] 



