A Practical Physiology by Albert F. Blaisdell
page 73 of 552 (13%)
page 73 of 552 (13%)
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consequent inflammation. Similar, though smaller, sacs are found over the
point of the elbow, over the knuckles, the ankle bones, and various other prominent points. These sacs answer a very important purpose, and are liable to various forms of inflammation. Experiment 21. Examine carefully the tendons in the parts dissected in Experiment 18. Pull on the muscles and the tendons, and note how they act to move the parts. This may be also admirably shown on the leg of a fowl or turkey from a kitchen or obtained at the market. Obtain the hoof of a calf or sheep with one end of the tendon of Achilles still attached. Dissect it and test its strength. 73. Mechanism of Movement. The active agents of bodily movements, as we have seen, are the muscles, which by their contraction cause the bones to move one on the other. All these movements, both of motion and of locomotion, occur according to certain fixed laws of mechanics. The bones, to which a great proportion of the muscles in the body are attached, act as distinct levers. The muscles supply the power for moving the bones, and the joints act as fulcrums or points of support. The weight of the limb, the weight to be lifted, or the force to overcome, is the resistance. 74. Levers in the Body. In mechanics three classes of levers are described, according to the relative position of the power, the fulcrum, and the resistance. All the movements of the bones can be referred to one or another of these three classes. Levers of the first class are those in which the fulcrum is between the power and the weight. The crowbar, when used to lift a weight at one |
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