Chapter 46

CHAP. II.Of Man’sBody, particularly itsPosture.

Of Man’sBody, particularly itsPosture.

Having thus, as briefly as well I could, surveyed theSoul, let us next take a View ofMan’s Body. Now here we have such a Multiplicity of the most exquisite Workmanship, and of the best Contrivance, that if we should strictly survey the Body from Head to Foot, and search only into the known Parts (and many more lie undiscovered) we should find too large and tedious a Task to be dispatched. I shall therefore have Time only to take a transient and general Kind of View of this admirable Machine, and that somewhat briefly too, being prevented by others, particularly two excellentAuthors of our own[a], who have done it on the same Account as my self. And the

I. Thing that presents itself to our View, is theErect Posture[b]of Man’s Body; which is far the most, if not the only commodious Posture for a rational Creature, for him that hath Dominion over the other Creatures, for one that can invent useful Things, and practise curious Arts. For without this erect Posture, he could not have readily turned himself to every Business, and on every Occasion. His Hand[c]particularly couldnot have been in so great a Readiness to execute the Commands of the Will, and Dictates of the Soul. His Eyes would have been the most prone, and incommodiously situated of all Animals; but by this Situation, he can cast his Eyes upwards, downwards, and round about him; he hath a glorious Hemisphere of the Heavens[d], and an ample Horizon on Earth[e], to entertain his Eye.

And as this Erection of Man’s Body is the most compleat Posture for him; so if we survey the Provision made for it, we find all done with manifest Design, the utmost Art and Skill being employ’d therein. To pass by the particular Conformation of many of the Parts, the Ligaments and Fastnings to answer this Posture; as the Fastning, for Instance, of thePericardiumto theDiaphragm, (which is peculiar to Man[f]; I say, passing by a deal of this Nature, manifesting this Posture to be an Act of Design,) let us stop a little at the curious Fabrick of the Bones, those Pillars of the Body. And how artificially do we find them made, how curiously plac’d from the Head to Foot! TheVertebræof the Neck and Back-bone[g], made short and complanated, and firmly braced with Muscles and Tendons, for easy Incurvations of the Body; but withal for greater Strength, to support the Body’s own Weight, together with other additional Weights it may have Occasion to bear. TheThigh-bonesand Legs long, and strong, and every Way well fitted for the Motion of the Body. TheFeetaccommodated with a great Number of Bones, curiously and firmly tack’d together, to which must be added the Ministry of the Muscles[h], to answer all theMotions of the Legs and Thighs, and at the same Time to keep the Body upright, and prevent its falling, by readily assisting against every Vacillation thereof, and with easy and ready Touches keeping theLine of Innixion, andCenter of Gravityin due Place and Posture[i].

And as the Bones are admirably adapted to prop; so all the Parts of the Body are as incomparably plac’d to poise it. Not one Side too heavy for the other; but all in nice Æquipoise: The Shoulders, Arms, and Side æquilibrated on one Part; on the other Part theVisceraof the Belly counterpois’d with the Weight of the scapular Part, and that useful Cushion of Flesh behind.

And lastly, To all this we may add the wonderful Concurrence, and Ministry of the prodigious Number and Variety of Muscles, plac’d throughout the Body for this Service; that they should so readily answer to every Posture; and comply with every Motion thereof, without any previousThought or Reflex act, so that (as the excellentBorelli[k]saith), “It is worthy of Admiration, that in so great a Variety of Motions, as running, leaping, and dancing, Nature’s Laws of Æquilibration should always be observed; and when neglected, or wilfully transgressed, that the Body must necessarily and immediately tumble down.”

FOOTNOTES:[a]Mr.Rayin his Wisdom of God manifested in the Works of Creation, Part 2. andDr.Cockburn’s Essays on Faith, Part 1. Essay 5.[b]Ad hanc providentiam Naturæ tam diligentera[of which he had been before speaking]tamque solertem adjungi multa possunt, è quibus intelligatur, quantæ res hominibus à Deo, quamque eximiæ tributæ sunt: qui primùm eos humo excitaros, celsos & erectos constituit, ut Deorum cognitionem, cœlum intuentes, capere possunt. Sunt enim è terra homines non ut incolæ, atque habitatores, sed quasi spectatores superarum rerum, atque cœlestium, quarum spectaculum ad nullum aliud genus animantium pertinet.Cic. de Nat. Deor. L. 2. c. 56.[c]Ut autem sapientissimum animalium est Homo, sic & Manus sunt organa sapienti animali convenientia. Non enim quia Manus habuit, propterea est sapientissimum, ut Anaxagoras dicebat; sed quia sapientissimum erat, propter hoc Manus habuit, ut rectissimè censuit Aristoteles. Non enim Manus ipse hominem artes docuerunt, sed Ratio. Manus autem ipsa sunt artium organa,&c.Galen. de Us. Part. L. 1. c. 3. After which, in the rest of this first Book, and part of the second, he considers the Particulars of theHand, in order to enquire, as he saith, ch. 5.Num eam omnino Constitutionem habeas[manus]quâ meliorem aliam habere non potuit.Of this Part, (and indeed of the other Parts of human Bodies) he gives so good an Account, that I confess I could not but admire the Skill of that ingenious and famed Heathen. For an Example, (because it is a little out of the Way,) I shall pitch upon his Account of the different Length of the Fingers,L. 1. 2. 24.The Reason of this Mechanism, he saith, is, That the Tops of the Fingers may come to an Equality,cùm magnas aliquas moles in circuitu comprehendunt, & cùm in seipsis humidum vel parvum corpus continere conantur.——Apparent verò in unam circuli circumferentiam convenire Digiti quinque in actionibus hujusmodi maximè quando exquisitè sphæricum corpus comprehendunt.And this Evenness of the Fingers Ends, in grasping sphærical, and other round Bodies, he truly enough saith, makes the Hold the firmer. And it seems a noble and pious Design he had in so strictly surveying the Parts of Man’s Body, which take in his own translated Words,Cùm multa namque esset apud veteres, tam Medicos, quàm Philosophos de utilitate particularum dissensio (quidam enim corpora nostra nullius gratiâ esse facta existimant, nullâque omnino arte; alii autem & alicujus gratiâ, & artificiosè,——) primum quidem tantæ hujus dissensionis κριτήριον invenire studui: deinde verò & unam aliquam universalem methodum constituere, quâ singularum partium corporis, & eorum quæ illis accidunt utilitatem invenire possemus.Ibid. cap. 8.[d]Pronaque cum spectant animalia cætera terram,Os Homini sublime dedit, cœlumque tueriJussit, & erectos ad sidera tollere vultus.Ovid. Metam. L. 1. car. 84.[e]If any should be so curious, to desire to know how far a Man’s Prospect reacheth, by Means of the Height of his Eye, supposing the Earth was an uninterrupted Globe; the Method is a common Case of right-angled plain Triangles, where two Sides, and an opposite Angle are given: Thus inFig. 4.A H Bis the Surface, or a great Circle of the terraqueous Globe;Cthe Center,H Cits Semidiameter,EtheHeightof the Eye; and foreasmuch asH Eis a Tangent, therefore the Angle atHis a right Angle: So that there are givenH C398,386 Miles, or 21034781EnglishFeet, (according toBook II. Chap. 2. Note (a);)C Ethe same Length with the Height of the Eye, on the Mast of a Ship, or at only a Man’s Height,&c.added to it; andE H Cthe opposite right Angle. By which three Parts given, it is easy to find all the other Parts of the Triangle. And first, the Angle atC, in order to find the SideH E, the Proportion is, As the SideC E, to the Angle atH; so the SideH C, to the Angle atE, which being substracted out of 90gr.the Remainder is the Angle atC. And then, As the Angle atE, is to its opposite SideH C, or else as the Angle atHis to its opposite SideC E; so the Angle atC, to its opposite SideE H, the visible Horizon. Or the Labour may be shortned, by adding together the Logarithm of the Sum of the two given Sides, and the Logarithm of their Difference; the half of which two Logarithms, is the Logarithm of the Side requir’d, nearly. For an Example, We will take the two Sides in Yards, by Reason scarce any Table of Logarithms will serve us farther. The Semidiameter of the Earth is 7011594 Yards; the Height of the Eye is two Yards more, the Sum of both Sides, is 14023190.Logar. of which Sum is,7,1468468Logar. of two Yards (the Differ.) is,0,3010300Sum of both Logar.7,4478768The half Sum,3,7239384is the Logar. of 5296 Yards = three Miles, which is the Length of the LineE H, or Distance the Eye can reach at six Feet Height.This would be the Distance, on a perfect Globe, did the visual Rays come to the Eye in a strait Line; but by Means of the Refractions of the Atmosphere, distant Objects on the Horizon, appear higher than really they are, and may be seen at a greater Distance, especially on the Sea; which is a Matter of great Use, especially to discover at Sea the Land, Rocks,&c.and it is a great Act of the divine Providence, in the Contrivance and Convenience of the Atmosphere, which by this Means enlargeth the visible Horizon, and is all one, as if the terraqueous Globe was much larger than really it is. As to the Height of the Apparent above the true Level, or how much distant Objects are rais’d by the Refractions, the ingenious and accurate Gentlemen of theFrench Academy Royal, have given us a Table in theirMeasure of the Earth, Art. 12.[f]SeeBook VI. Chap. 5. Note (g).[g]SeeBook IV. Chap. 8. Note (c).[h]The Mechanism of the Foot, would appear to be wonderful, if I should descend to a Description of all its Parts; but that would be too long for these Notes; therefore a brief Account, (most of which I owe to the before-commended Mr.Cheselden,) may serve for a Sample: In the first Place, It is necessary the Foot should be concave, to enable us to stand firm, and that the Nerves and Blood-Vessels may be free from Compression when we stand or walk. In order hereunto, the longFlexorsof the Toes cross one another at the Bottom of the Foot, in the Form of a St.Andrew’s Cross, to incline the lesser Toes towards the great One, and the great One towards the lesser. Theshort Flexorsare chiefly concern’d in drawing the Toes towards the Heel. Thetransversalis Pedisdraws the Outsides of the Foot towards each other; and by being inserted into one of thesesamoidBones, of the great Toe, diverts the Power of theabductor Muscle, (falsly so call’d,) and makes it become aFlexor. And lastly, theperonæus Longusruns round the outer Ankle, and obliquely forwards cross the Bottom of the Foot, and at once helps to extend theTarsus, to constrict the Foot, and to direct the Power of the otherExtensorstowards the Ball of the great Toe: Hence the Loss of thegreat Toe, is more than of all the other Toes. See also Mr.Cowper’sAnat.Tab. 28.&c.[i]It is very well worth while to compare here whatBorellisaith,de motu Animal.Par. 1. cap. 18.De statione Animal.Prop. 132,&c.To which I refer the Reader, it being too long to recite here.[k]Borel. ibid. Prop. 142.

[a]Mr.Rayin his Wisdom of God manifested in the Works of Creation, Part 2. andDr.Cockburn’s Essays on Faith, Part 1. Essay 5.

[b]Ad hanc providentiam Naturæ tam diligentera[of which he had been before speaking]tamque solertem adjungi multa possunt, è quibus intelligatur, quantæ res hominibus à Deo, quamque eximiæ tributæ sunt: qui primùm eos humo excitaros, celsos & erectos constituit, ut Deorum cognitionem, cœlum intuentes, capere possunt. Sunt enim è terra homines non ut incolæ, atque habitatores, sed quasi spectatores superarum rerum, atque cœlestium, quarum spectaculum ad nullum aliud genus animantium pertinet.Cic. de Nat. Deor. L. 2. c. 56.

[c]Ut autem sapientissimum animalium est Homo, sic & Manus sunt organa sapienti animali convenientia. Non enim quia Manus habuit, propterea est sapientissimum, ut Anaxagoras dicebat; sed quia sapientissimum erat, propter hoc Manus habuit, ut rectissimè censuit Aristoteles. Non enim Manus ipse hominem artes docuerunt, sed Ratio. Manus autem ipsa sunt artium organa,&c.Galen. de Us. Part. L. 1. c. 3. After which, in the rest of this first Book, and part of the second, he considers the Particulars of theHand, in order to enquire, as he saith, ch. 5.Num eam omnino Constitutionem habeas[manus]quâ meliorem aliam habere non potuit.Of this Part, (and indeed of the other Parts of human Bodies) he gives so good an Account, that I confess I could not but admire the Skill of that ingenious and famed Heathen. For an Example, (because it is a little out of the Way,) I shall pitch upon his Account of the different Length of the Fingers,L. 1. 2. 24.The Reason of this Mechanism, he saith, is, That the Tops of the Fingers may come to an Equality,cùm magnas aliquas moles in circuitu comprehendunt, & cùm in seipsis humidum vel parvum corpus continere conantur.——Apparent verò in unam circuli circumferentiam convenire Digiti quinque in actionibus hujusmodi maximè quando exquisitè sphæricum corpus comprehendunt.And this Evenness of the Fingers Ends, in grasping sphærical, and other round Bodies, he truly enough saith, makes the Hold the firmer. And it seems a noble and pious Design he had in so strictly surveying the Parts of Man’s Body, which take in his own translated Words,Cùm multa namque esset apud veteres, tam Medicos, quàm Philosophos de utilitate particularum dissensio (quidam enim corpora nostra nullius gratiâ esse facta existimant, nullâque omnino arte; alii autem & alicujus gratiâ, & artificiosè,——) primum quidem tantæ hujus dissensionis κριτήριον invenire studui: deinde verò & unam aliquam universalem methodum constituere, quâ singularum partium corporis, & eorum quæ illis accidunt utilitatem invenire possemus.Ibid. cap. 8.

Of this Part, (and indeed of the other Parts of human Bodies) he gives so good an Account, that I confess I could not but admire the Skill of that ingenious and famed Heathen. For an Example, (because it is a little out of the Way,) I shall pitch upon his Account of the different Length of the Fingers,L. 1. 2. 24.The Reason of this Mechanism, he saith, is, That the Tops of the Fingers may come to an Equality,cùm magnas aliquas moles in circuitu comprehendunt, & cùm in seipsis humidum vel parvum corpus continere conantur.——Apparent verò in unam circuli circumferentiam convenire Digiti quinque in actionibus hujusmodi maximè quando exquisitè sphæricum corpus comprehendunt.And this Evenness of the Fingers Ends, in grasping sphærical, and other round Bodies, he truly enough saith, makes the Hold the firmer. And it seems a noble and pious Design he had in so strictly surveying the Parts of Man’s Body, which take in his own translated Words,Cùm multa namque esset apud veteres, tam Medicos, quàm Philosophos de utilitate particularum dissensio (quidam enim corpora nostra nullius gratiâ esse facta existimant, nullâque omnino arte; alii autem & alicujus gratiâ, & artificiosè,——) primum quidem tantæ hujus dissensionis κριτήριον invenire studui: deinde verò & unam aliquam universalem methodum constituere, quâ singularum partium corporis, & eorum quæ illis accidunt utilitatem invenire possemus.Ibid. cap. 8.

[d]Pronaque cum spectant animalia cætera terram,Os Homini sublime dedit, cœlumque tueriJussit, & erectos ad sidera tollere vultus.Ovid. Metam. L. 1. car. 84.

[d]

Pronaque cum spectant animalia cætera terram,Os Homini sublime dedit, cœlumque tueriJussit, & erectos ad sidera tollere vultus.Ovid. Metam. L. 1. car. 84.

Pronaque cum spectant animalia cætera terram,Os Homini sublime dedit, cœlumque tueriJussit, & erectos ad sidera tollere vultus.

Pronaque cum spectant animalia cætera terram,

Os Homini sublime dedit, cœlumque tueri

Jussit, & erectos ad sidera tollere vultus.

Ovid. Metam. L. 1. car. 84.

[e]If any should be so curious, to desire to know how far a Man’s Prospect reacheth, by Means of the Height of his Eye, supposing the Earth was an uninterrupted Globe; the Method is a common Case of right-angled plain Triangles, where two Sides, and an opposite Angle are given: Thus inFig. 4.A H Bis the Surface, or a great Circle of the terraqueous Globe;Cthe Center,H Cits Semidiameter,EtheHeightof the Eye; and foreasmuch asH Eis a Tangent, therefore the Angle atHis a right Angle: So that there are givenH C398,386 Miles, or 21034781EnglishFeet, (according toBook II. Chap. 2. Note (a);)C Ethe same Length with the Height of the Eye, on the Mast of a Ship, or at only a Man’s Height,&c.added to it; andE H Cthe opposite right Angle. By which three Parts given, it is easy to find all the other Parts of the Triangle. And first, the Angle atC, in order to find the SideH E, the Proportion is, As the SideC E, to the Angle atH; so the SideH C, to the Angle atE, which being substracted out of 90gr.the Remainder is the Angle atC. And then, As the Angle atE, is to its opposite SideH C, or else as the Angle atHis to its opposite SideC E; so the Angle atC, to its opposite SideE H, the visible Horizon. Or the Labour may be shortned, by adding together the Logarithm of the Sum of the two given Sides, and the Logarithm of their Difference; the half of which two Logarithms, is the Logarithm of the Side requir’d, nearly. For an Example, We will take the two Sides in Yards, by Reason scarce any Table of Logarithms will serve us farther. The Semidiameter of the Earth is 7011594 Yards; the Height of the Eye is two Yards more, the Sum of both Sides, is 14023190.Logar. of which Sum is,7,1468468Logar. of two Yards (the Differ.) is,0,3010300Sum of both Logar.7,4478768The half Sum,3,7239384is the Logar. of 5296 Yards = three Miles, which is the Length of the LineE H, or Distance the Eye can reach at six Feet Height.This would be the Distance, on a perfect Globe, did the visual Rays come to the Eye in a strait Line; but by Means of the Refractions of the Atmosphere, distant Objects on the Horizon, appear higher than really they are, and may be seen at a greater Distance, especially on the Sea; which is a Matter of great Use, especially to discover at Sea the Land, Rocks,&c.and it is a great Act of the divine Providence, in the Contrivance and Convenience of the Atmosphere, which by this Means enlargeth the visible Horizon, and is all one, as if the terraqueous Globe was much larger than really it is. As to the Height of the Apparent above the true Level, or how much distant Objects are rais’d by the Refractions, the ingenious and accurate Gentlemen of theFrench Academy Royal, have given us a Table in theirMeasure of the Earth, Art. 12.

is the Logar. of 5296 Yards = three Miles, which is the Length of the LineE H, or Distance the Eye can reach at six Feet Height.

This would be the Distance, on a perfect Globe, did the visual Rays come to the Eye in a strait Line; but by Means of the Refractions of the Atmosphere, distant Objects on the Horizon, appear higher than really they are, and may be seen at a greater Distance, especially on the Sea; which is a Matter of great Use, especially to discover at Sea the Land, Rocks,&c.and it is a great Act of the divine Providence, in the Contrivance and Convenience of the Atmosphere, which by this Means enlargeth the visible Horizon, and is all one, as if the terraqueous Globe was much larger than really it is. As to the Height of the Apparent above the true Level, or how much distant Objects are rais’d by the Refractions, the ingenious and accurate Gentlemen of theFrench Academy Royal, have given us a Table in theirMeasure of the Earth, Art. 12.

[f]SeeBook VI. Chap. 5. Note (g).

[g]SeeBook IV. Chap. 8. Note (c).

[h]The Mechanism of the Foot, would appear to be wonderful, if I should descend to a Description of all its Parts; but that would be too long for these Notes; therefore a brief Account, (most of which I owe to the before-commended Mr.Cheselden,) may serve for a Sample: In the first Place, It is necessary the Foot should be concave, to enable us to stand firm, and that the Nerves and Blood-Vessels may be free from Compression when we stand or walk. In order hereunto, the longFlexorsof the Toes cross one another at the Bottom of the Foot, in the Form of a St.Andrew’s Cross, to incline the lesser Toes towards the great One, and the great One towards the lesser. Theshort Flexorsare chiefly concern’d in drawing the Toes towards the Heel. Thetransversalis Pedisdraws the Outsides of the Foot towards each other; and by being inserted into one of thesesamoidBones, of the great Toe, diverts the Power of theabductor Muscle, (falsly so call’d,) and makes it become aFlexor. And lastly, theperonæus Longusruns round the outer Ankle, and obliquely forwards cross the Bottom of the Foot, and at once helps to extend theTarsus, to constrict the Foot, and to direct the Power of the otherExtensorstowards the Ball of the great Toe: Hence the Loss of thegreat Toe, is more than of all the other Toes. See also Mr.Cowper’sAnat.Tab. 28.&c.

[i]It is very well worth while to compare here whatBorellisaith,de motu Animal.Par. 1. cap. 18.De statione Animal.Prop. 132,&c.To which I refer the Reader, it being too long to recite here.

[k]Borel. ibid. Prop. 142.

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