Principles of anatomy and physiology for physical training instructors in the Royal Air Force.

Date:
1946
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Principles of anatomy and physiology for physical training instructors in the Royal Air Force. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    © aL 1 INCH FIGURE 5—The left scaphoid FIGURE 4—A left rib _ A,rib is an example of the fourth type, the long thin bone ; its main function is to supply a moving framework (Figure 4). The fifth type, is the small compact bone which is rather like a pebble ; the example shown is one of the bones of the wrist (Figure 5). Their main function is to supply the flexibility and strength necessary for the movement of the hands and feet. | THE SKELETON The skeleton consists of the skull, the backbone, the ribs, the shoulder girdle, the bones of the upper limbs, the pelvis and the bones of the lower limbs. The anatomy of the skull does not come within the scope of this book. The Vertebral Column or Backbone (Figure 6) The vertebral column is divided into regions : (1) cervical or neck ; (2) dorsal or back ; (3) lumbar or loin ; (4) sacral or rump ; (5) coccygeal or tail. There are seven units, or vertebra, in the cervical region, twelve in the dorsal, five in the lumbar ; five are fused together in the sacral region to form one bone, the sacrum. The four small bones fused to form the coccyx are the remnant of the tail and serve to remind us of man’s humble origin. The vertebral column is the structure through which the weight of the upper part of the body is transmitted to the lower limbs. There are two curves in the column which develop soon after birth, the cervical and lumbar ; both curves are convex forward. The cervical curve appears when the child begins to hold up its head ; the lumbar curve starts to _ develop when the erect position is adopted, and is at first exaggerated, giving rise to the normal hollow back and protruding abdomen of very young children ; but at the age of three or four, when the abdominal musculature become better developed, it assumes its adult shape.