The Human Foot and the Human Hand

Part 1

Transcriber’s notes:

The text of this book has been preserved as in the original, apart from repositioning of some footnotes and illustrations closer to the relevant text. Italic text is denoted by underscores.

THE HUMAN FOOT

AND THE

HUMAN HAND.

G. M. HUMPHRY, M.D. F.R.S.

LECTURER ON ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE.

MACMILLAN AND CO. Cambridge: AND 23, HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDEN, London. 1861.

Cambridge: PRINTED BY C. J. CLAY, M.A. AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS.

The following pages originated in two popular Lectures which were delivered in Cambridge. In the preparation for publication many additions have been made; but I have thought it best to retain the original form.

CONTENTS.

THE HUMAN FOOT.

Why are the generality of persons so ignorant of the structure of their own bodies? p. 1. The dependence of the hand upon the foot, 3. Principle of “division of Labour” illustrated in the animal world, 4; and in the function of locomotion, 6.

Structure of Lower Limb, 8. Length of Leg in GIANTS, 9. Bones of Foot, ib. Peculiarity of GREAT TOE, 10. Uniformity in plan, and dissimilarity in detail seen throughout nature, 13. Homologous parts in animals, 14. Comparison of Horse’s Leg with Man’s, 15. The ARCH of the foot, 18; its elasticity greater in the fore part than in the hinder, 21. The Component bones held together by Ligaments, 24. WEAK ANKLE and FLAT FOOT, 27, 74; time of life at which they occur, 31. Injurious effects of “High-lows,” 29.

Movements of the FOOT, 33; compared with those of the HEAD, 35. Nature’s abhorrence of straight lines illustrated by shape of leg-bone, 37, and by movements of leg upon thigh, 39. Sitting upon the heel, ib. Grecian and Egyptian statuary compared, 40. Relation of PERFECTION and BEAUTY, 41.

MUSCLES of Leg and Foot, 42. Purpose served by movements of Infants, 46. CLUB-FOOT, 47. Shape of the ankle, 48. Length and direction of the heel, 50. The CALF, ib.; characteristic of man, 53. EUROPEAN Leg and Foot contrasted with NEGRO’S, 51. CHINESE foot, 54. Tendency of different races to exaggerate their peculiarities, 56. Provision for enabling balls of toes to adapt themselves to uneven surfaces, 57.

STANDING, 59. BOWING, STOOPING and SQUATTING, 61. WALKING, 62. RUNNING, 64. TROTTING and GALLOPING, 67. Rolling in walking, 69. Sprained ankle, 70. Mode in which foot revolves on the ground, 73. Character shown in walking, 76. The IDIOT, 80. The DRUNKARD, 81.

Distinctive features of the Human Foot, 82; most marked in highest races, 91. The TOES of small size and, comparatively, unimportant, 84. The foot of the ELEPHANT, 86; of the HIPPOPOTAMUS, RHINOCEROS, OX, and HORSE, 87; of the GORILLA, 88. Proportions of the limbs, 94. Foot and hand small in very short and very tall persons, 96. The foot measure, 97.

SKIN of the sole, 98. On SHOES, 102.

THE HUMAN HAND.

HAND how distinguished from FOOT, 109. Construction of Upper limb, 110. Small bones rarely dislocated, 112.

Movements at SHOULDER very free, 114; conducive to good development of Chest, 125. Uses of COLLAR-BONE, 116. Injuries to Shoulder why so frequent, 119. Shape of CHEST, 122; in Rhinoceros, 120; in Monkey, 123.

Movements at the ELBOW, 126. PRONATION and SUPINATION of the forearm and hand, ib. No exactly corresponding movements in lower limb, 129. MUSCLES by which they are effected, 130. Anatomical reason for the direction in which we turn a screw or a gimlet, 132.

Structure and movements of the WRIST, 134. Movements of the FINGERS, 136. MUSCLES by which they are effected, 137. MOVEMENTS of the THUMB, 141; of the metacarpal bones upon the wrist, 143. Advantage gained by the fingers and thumb all differing in length, 145. Middle finger the centre about which the others move, 147. On holding the PEN, ib. The direction in which the letters are slanted, 148. WRITING from left to right, 149. Reason for the RING being placed upon the fourth finger, 150. The “funny-bone,” 153.

The MONKEY’S HAND, 154, 187.

The hand the organ of the WILL, 156; its relation to the MIND, 157; an organ of EXPRESSION, 159. SHAKING HANDS, 162. Why do we shake hands? 162. Why do we KISS? 164.

Structure of the SKIN, 165. The Cuticle, 166; its uses, 167. The Rete Mucosum, 166. Cause of the colour of the Skin, 167. The Cutis, 168. Difference between a WART and a CORN, 170. How to cut Corns, 172.

NAILS; their formation and growth, 173. Claws in lower animals, 173, 175. Sensitiveness of the Skin beneath the nails, 177.

Part 2

HAIRS; their formation, 178; colour, 179; uses, 180.

OIL-GLANDS; their uses, the odour of their secretion, 180.

SWEAT-GLANDS, 183; their structure, ib. The “Pores” of the Skin, 183. The moisture of the palm, 184. Cold Sweat, ib.

FEELING and TOUCH, 185. Structure of the three parts in which they are most acute, ib. The “Pulps” of the fingers connected with peculiar shape of the bones, 186; their sensitiveness to cold, 187. Distinction between Common Feeling and the Sense of Touch, 188. Relation between the two in the Tongue, the Eye and the Hand, 189. The tentacle of a Polyp a rudimentary hand, 191. Acuteness of touch in man, 193; in BLIND persons, ib.

Relation of the hand to the EYE and the MOUTH, 195. The Elephant’s Trunk, 197. CHEIROMANCY, 198. The LOCK-JAW fallacy, 200. Cause of the superiority of the RIGHT HAND, 201. “This unworthy hand!” 205.

Explanation of Wood-cuts, 207.

THE HUMAN FOOT.

The Human Body is one of the most worthy objects of man’s study. It is the noblest as well as the crowning work of creation. In it material organization is carried to the greatest perfection. It surpasses, therefore, all other physical objects in exquisiteness of construction and in interest. How comes it, then, that most persons are so ignorant respecting it? Men, well informed in other matters, are usually altogether uninformed with regard to this. In every other branch of science we find amateur students pursuing the subject with zeal and success. Geology, Chemistry, Botany, Zoology, and even Comparative Anatomy have each their votaries; but Human Anatomy attracts no one. Why is this? Partly, I think, because opportunities for acquiring such information as is suitable and interesting are not so many as they ought to be.

It must be confessed, also, that we teachers of Anatomy are somewhat to blame. We are too prone, in our Lectures and Examinations, to dwell upon bare details, without enlivening those details with the many bright features of interest with which they are naturally invested; and we fail, therefore, to render it so attractive a science as it might be. The example of those able and animated teachers, John and Charles Bell, who laboured with some success to disperse the clouds that have ever overhung the horizon of anatomy, has been too much forgotten; and the flame which they kindled has almost died out under the chilling apathy of their successors. Truly glad should I be to see a change in this. I cannot but think that if the teachers of Anatomy took higher and more philosophical views of their science there would be no lack of interest on the part of the students. The interest so excited would soon spread beyond the limits of the profession; and there would thus be opened up to the public some of the products of that rich vein of knowledge and of that abundant material for thought which lie buried in the human frame.

I therefore willingly accede to your request for a Lecture upon some part of the anatomy of the human body, relying upon the intrinsic interest of the subject to make amends for my own deficiencies in expounding it; and I select the HUMAN FOOT, because a few of the more important points of its construction can be explained without much difficulty, because it affords a good illustration of some of the principles of animal mechanism, and because its form constitutes one of the great characteristics whereby man is distinguished from the lower animals. As an instrument of support and of locomotion it excels the foot of any other animal. It evinces its excellence by enabling man to stand upright in a way that no other animal can do; and so efficiently does the foot accomplish this and perform the task of carrying the body, that the hand is set at liberty to minister to the will. Thus is the foot instrumental in giving us an advantage over other animals, and in enabling us to provide the means of defence; and, thus, it aids us to carry out those wondrous works which are second only to the marvellous results of creative power.

We are accustomed to regard the hand as the great agent by which all this is attained, and we are apt to forget how much it is indebted to the foot. We do not reflect that, if the foot of man presented no distinguishing peculiarity, the hand, like the corresponding part in other animals, would be compelled to share with it the task of carrying the body, and could, therefore, not be devoted to the various offices which it is now free to perform. Little right has the hand to say to the foot, “I have no need of thee.”

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