BIMANA, OR MAN. 45 
PECULIAR CONFORMATION OF MAN. 
The foot of Man is very different from that of Apes : it is large ; the leg bears vertically upon 
it ; the heel is expanded beneath ; his toes are short, and but slightly flexible ; the great toe, 
longer and larger than the rest, is placed on the same line with and cannot bef opposed to 
them. This foot, then, is proper for supporting the body, but cannot be used for seizing or 
climbing*, and as the hands are unfitted for walking, Man is the only animal truly himanous 
and hiped. 
The whole body of Man is modified for the vertical position. His feet, as we have already 
seen, furnish him with a larger base than those of other mammalians ; the muscles which re- 
tain the foot and thigh in the state of extension are more vigorous, whence results the swelling 
of the calf and buttock ; the flexors of the leg are attached higher up, which permits of com- 
plete extension of the knee, and renders the calf more apparent. The pelvis is larger, which 
separates the thighs and feet, and gives to the trunk that pyramidal form favourable to equi- 
librium : the necks of the thigh-bones form an angle with the body of the bone, which increases 
still more the separation of the feet, and augments the basis of the body. Finally, the head, 
in this vertical position, is in eauilibrium with the trunk, because its ai’ticulation is exactly 
under the middle of its mass. 
Were he to desire it, Man could not, with convenience, walk on all fours : his short and 
nearly inflexible foot, and his long thigh, would bring the knee to the ground ; his widely sepa- 
rated shoulders and his arms, too far extended from the median line, would ill support the 
fore-part of his body ; the great indented muscle which, in quadrupeds, suspends the trunk 
between the blade-bones as a girth, is smaller in Man than in any one among them ; the head 
is heavier, on account of the magnitude of the brain, and the smallness of the sinuses or cavi- 
ties of the bones ; and yet the means of supporting it are weaker, for he has neither cervical 
ligament, nor are the vertebrae so modified as to prevent their flexure forward j he could 
therefore only maintain his head in the same line with the spine, and then, his eyes and mouth 
being directed towards the ground, he could not see before him ; the position of these organs 
is, on the contrary, quite perfect, supposing that he walks erectly. 
Tlie arteries which supply his brain, not being subdivided as in many quadrupeds, and the 
blood requisite for so voluminous an organ being carried to it with too much violence, fre- 
quent apoplexies would be the consequence of a horizontal position. i 
Man, then, is designed to be supported by the feet only. Fie thus preserves the entire use [ 
of his hands for the arts, while his organs of sense are most favorably situated for observa- 
tion. 
I These hands, which derive such advantages from their liberty, receive as many more from 
' their structure. Their thumb, longer in proportion than in the apes, increases the facility of 
seizing small objects ; all the fingers, except the annularis [and this to a certain extent], have 
separate movements, which is not the case in any other animal, not even in the apes. The 
nails, covering only one side of the extremities of the fingers, form a support to the touch, 
I without in the least depriving it of its delicacy. The arms which support these hands have a 
solid attachment by their large blade-bone, their strong collar bone, &c. 
Man, so highly favoured as to dexterity, is not so with regard to strength. His swiftness 
in running is much inferior to that of other animals of his size ; having neither projecting 
jaws, nor salient canine teeth, nor crooked nails, he is destitute of offensive armature ; and 
the sides and upper part of his body being naked, unprovided even with hair, he is absolutely 
* It is certain, however, that by much practice from early youth, | with the anterior extremities imperfect, have illustrated this practi- 
the foot has been known to acquire an amount of dexterity in manual I cability the most remarkably. The influence of habit in training- even 
operations, which it would not have been supposed capable of by those the hand to perform its functions, will be appreciated by those who 
whose feet have been enveloped from the time they first walked in cannot use their left hand with the same freedom as the right. — Ed. 
close investments. Individuals, in particular, who have been born I 
