Part 6
Whatever pretensions to Humanity the MONKEY may make--and they are sufficiently striking to render some persons very uncomfortable on the score of relationship--he is certainly far removed from us in the construction of the foot (fig. 44); and the good people to whom I have alluded may derive consolation from the reflection that, in this respect at least, there is very little indication of cousinship. Indeed we ought not to speak of his _foot_ at all; for the part which corresponds with the human foot does not even deserve that name. It is so much more like a hand, that the term four-handed, or _quadrumanous_, is by naturalists applied to this class of animals. There is scarcely any plantar arch; the animal bears, chiefly, upon the outer edge of the foot; the digits are long and strong; and the inner one, instead of being parallel with the others, diverges from them so as to constitute a true _thumb_ instead of a great toe. All these points are very suitable for enabling the animal to cling to branches of trees, and for other prehensile purposes; but they unfit him for the upright posture, and render it impossible for him to walk steadily upon his lower limbs.
[Illustration: Fig. 45. Gorilla.]
In the great ape called the GORILLA, which is found in the south-western part of Africa, and of which many specimens have now been sent to this Country, the _hind-hand_ is of great size and strength, as may be seen in the accompanying drawing made from a stuffed specimen in the British Museum. The lower part of the leg is also very thick, owing to the size of the muscles which move the great toe and the other digits, and which enable them to give a most powerful grasp. So strong and savage is the creature that all efforts to capture one alive, when full-grown, have, hitherto, failed. He is said to give evidence of his strength of hand and of his amiable propensities in the following way. He swings by his fore-hands from the trees, and, letting himself down quietly by them, watches an opportunity of seizing by the neck, with his huge hind-hand, some unwary Negro who may be passing by, draws him up, and holds him with vice-like grasp, till his struggles have ceased, and then drops him a strangled corpse to the ground.
Most of the characters above mentioned as distinctive of the human foot--such as its compactness and strength, the height of the plantar arch, the shortness of the toes--are, like the size of the calf, most marked in the higher members of the human family, in those, that is to say, who are gifted with the highest intelligence. Thus the formation of the foot is found to have a correspondence with the formation of the head, and may, like it, be, to a certain extent, taken, as I have before remarked, to be an index of intellectual, as well as of physical, capacity. The relation between the intellectual power and the physical conformation of man, which is here exemplified, and which is maintained throughout the frame, is a subject of extreme interest, and is one which has not attracted the attention of anatomists and ethnologists so much as it deserves.
To what secondary causes this harmonious adaptation of body to mind may be due, we cannot clearly tell; but we can see in it a provision for giving physical ascendancy to superior intellect. And it is most gratifying to be able to derive, as we may do, from this as well as from the observation of the past and the present, the assurance that the cultivation of the mind, provided its moral tone be preserved and proper sanitary precautions be taken, is not likely to be attended with any deterioration of the body. On the contrary, we have good reason to believe that the present civilized nations of the earth, with their higher mental culture, are inferior to none of their predecessors in the qualities of the body; surely soldiers never maintained a hand-to-hand struggle better than the victors at Inkermann; and we know that the civilized nations are physically superior to most of the uncivilized. We have good ground, therefore, to hope that the extension of education and commerce will be productive, on the whole, of an improvement of the physical condition of the species.
Sir James Emerson Tennent says that the Veddahs, or aboriginal inhabitants of Ceylon, use the foot in drawing the bow. They sit down, place the toe against it, and draw the string with the hand; and some of the American Indians appear to have used both feet in the same way. These Veddahs furnish a good illustration of the low physical condition which is usually associated with absence of mental culture. They are described as in a singularly degraded state. “They have scarcely any language, no knowledge of God, nor of a future state, no temples, no idols, no altars, prayers, or charms; and, in short, no instinct of worship, except it be some addiction to ceremonies, analogous to devil worship, to avert storms, lightning, and sickness. All presented the same characteristics of wretchedness and dejection--projecting mouths, prominent teeth, flattened noses, stunted stature, and other evidences of the physical depravity which is the usual consequence of hunger and ignorance. The children were unsightly objects, entirely naked, with misshapen joints, huge heads, and protuberant stomachs. The women were the most repulsive specimens of humanity I have ever seen in any country.”
_The Proportions of the Limbs._
A few years ago I took the measurements of numerous skeletons which I found in the museums in France, Germany, and England, and made the following table to shew the proportions of the several parts.
The length of the foot and hand is in all somewhat greater than it should be, in consequence of the bones composing them being usually less closely articulated in the artificial skeleton than they are in nature.
From this it appears that the limbs of MAN differ from those of the APE, chiefly, in the proportionate length of the thigh and arm, and in the shortness of the foot and hand. And it will be seen that, in both these particulars, the NEGRO differs from the EUROPEAN and exhibits some approximation to the APE.
I found, also (the tables shewing this are given in my work on the Human Skeleton), that these characteristic proportions of the European are brought out only during growth; for that in the early periods of infancy the foot and hand are, relatively, very long, and the thigh is actually shorter than either the leg or the foot, and the arm is shorter than either the forearm or the
MEASUREMENTS OF SKELETONS (IN INCHES).
+----------+---+------------+------+-------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-------------+ | | H | | |C S| H | R | H | F | T | F | Pelvis. | | | e | Middle |Spine,|i f k| u | a | a | e | i | o +------+------+ | | i | point | |r e o u| m | d | n | m | b | o | | | | | g | of |length|c r f l| e | i | d | u | i | t |Trans.|Ant.- | | | h | spine. | of. |u e l| r | u | . | r | a | . | dia- |post. | | | t | | |m n .| u | s | | . | . | |meter.|dia- | | | . | | |- c | s | . | | | | | |meter.| | | | | | e | . | | | | | | | | +----------+---+------------+------+-------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+------+------+ |European | | | | | | | | | | | | | |(average |65 | Symphysis | 22.2 | 20.5 |12.7 | 9.2 | 7.3 |17.88|14.4 |10.6 | 5.2 | 4.3 | | of 25) | | pubis. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Negro | |{ 1 inch }| | | | | | | | | | | |(average |62 |{ below }| 19.3 | 19.8 |12.1 | 9.4 | 7.7 |17 |14.4 |11.11| 4.6 | 4.1 | | of 25) | |{Symphysis.}| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Bosjesman | | | | | | | | | | | | | |(average |54 | Symphysis. | 17 | 19.6 |10.8 | 8.3 | 6 |15 |12.9 | 7.5 | 4.4 | 3.5 | | of 3) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Idiot | | | | | | | | | | | | | |(in Berlin|57 | | 19.5 | 13.5 |12 | 8.8 | 7 |16 |12.5 | 8.5 | 5 | 3.8 | | Museum) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Chimpanzee| |{ 3 inches }| | | | | | | | | | | |(average |50 |{ above }| 17 | |12.2 |11 | 9 |12.4 |10 |10.5 | 4 | 5.5 | | of 4) | |{Symphysis.}| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Orang | |{ 3-1/2 }| | | | | | | | | | | |(average |44 |{ inches }| 18 | |14 |14 |10 |10.6 | 9.2 |12 | 3.8 | 4.5 | | of 2) | |{ above }| | | | | | | | | | | | | |{Symphysis.}| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Gorilla | |{ 4 inches }| | | | | | | | | | | |(average |58 |{ above }| 21 | |16.6 |12.9 | 9 |13.9 |11.3 |12 | 5.7 | 7.3 | | of 3) | |{Symphysis.}| | | | | | | | | | | +----------+---+------------+------+-------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+------+------+
hand; and it is only, gradually, during the advance to manhood, that the proper proportions are attained. So that the transient or immature condition of the human frame shews certain resemblances to the permanent Negro type and to that of the quadrumanous animals; and these resemblances become obliterated during further growth.
The accounts of travellers indicate that some other nations present great varieties in the proportion which the length of the foot and hand bears to the height. Bushmen and Hottentots are very diminutive, commonly under 5 feet in height; and their hands and feet are remarkably small and delicate, in which respect they differ from Negroes. Mr Bartram observes with regard to the Cherokees or Muscogulges--a tribe of North American Indians--that the women are, perhaps, the smallest race of women yet known, almost all under 5 ft.; and their hands and feet are not larger than those of Europeans of 9 or 10 years of age. He tells us, also, what is very strange, that the men of this same tribe are of gigantic stature, “a full size larger than Europeans,” many of them above, and a few under, 6 ft.; but he says nothing of the size of their hands and feet. The hands and feet of the Patagonians are said to be very small. This may be contrary to what we might expect; but it accords with what I found to be the case in the skeletons of some Giants which I measured; for in all of them the feet and the hands were disproportionately short. It would seem, therefore, that, whether the stature of the individual be diminutive or gigantic, the foot and the hand, in either case, are, usually, less than their proper relative length. A greater number of accurate data are, however, necessary to enable us to generalise correctly upon this and other points of a like nature, or to decide what truth there is in the common remark, that a long foot in a child indicates a tall man.
In former times the parts of the human body were used as measures; and it was not uncommon to illustrate the tables of measures by drawings of the human body, with descriptions of the foot, palm, &c. One of the tables of the 16th century, derived in great part from the Romans and the Greeks, is founded upon the notion, which is not very far from the truth, that in the well proportioned man, the breadth of the palm is a 24th part of the whole stature, and the length of the foot a 6th part, and the length of the cubit--from the elbow to the end of the fingers--a 4th. The measures, however, varied at different times and in different countries, even though the names were the same. The latter have, in several instances, remained, though the definite measure which they now indicate is different from what it was, and differs from that of the part of the body from which the name was taken. Thus, our present foot measure (twelve inches) is considerably more than the length of the human foot.
_The Skin of the Sole._
The SKIN of the sole is soft and yet very tough and strong. It underlies a thick pad of fat, which separates it from the bones and the plantar ligament. The fat is interwoven with fibres passing, through it, from the tissue of the skin to the bones and ligaments. It is, in this way, rendered very firm, though it retains much of the soft quality of fat; and it forms an admirable cushion for receiving the weight of the body and defending from injurious pressure both the skin and the other parts of the foot. The fibres just mentioned bind the skin to the superjacent bones and ligaments, and hold it firmly to them, so as to prevent its being displaced from them in the movements of the foot upon the ground.
[Illustration: Fig. 46.]
The accompanying woodcut shows that these connecting fibres are most numerous where there is the greatest pressure, viz. beneath the heel and the balls of the toes. It shows, too, that they take the direction at each of those parts which is most calculated to prevent displacement. Thus, at the heel their direction is chiefly from the heel-bone, backwards, to the skin. When we place the heel upon the ground in walking, the weight of the body has a tendency to drive the heel-bone _for_wards from the skin; and the direction of the fibres, from the heel-bone, _back_wards, just resists this tendency and holds the skin and the bone firmly together. On the contrary, when we withdraw the foot from the ground the pressure is in the opposite direction, and has a tendency to drive the metatarsal bones _back_wards from the skin. The course of the fibres is, consequently, changed. They, many of them at least, run _for_wards from the bones and prevent the displacement that would be likely to occur. This direction is also very marked, and for the same reason, at the end of the great toe. A bundle of fibres radiates from the projecting process, or tubercle, which is conspicuous upon the under surface of the bone near its end; and the greater number of them run _for_wards, through the pulp of the toe, to the skin, and maintain the connection of the skin with the bone when the latter is pressed _back_wards in withdrawing the foot from the ground.
The skin of the sole has a peculiar sensitiveness, which enables it to take quick cognisance of contact with the ground or of any injurious substances lying upon the ground. The sensitiveness in the foot is rather increased by its being so much covered up. We are aroused to a consciousness of this sensitiveness when the soles are tickled, or when any one treads on our toes, especially if there happen to be a corn there. We know also how sensitive the feet are to cold, and how liable we are to catch cold from wet feet. This sensitiveness renders washing the feet a refreshing luxury, especially in hot climates or when we are fatigued. It is a luxury much indulged in by Eastern nations; “Mephibosheth had neither dressed his feet nor trimmed his beard from the day the king departed, until he came again in peace;” and among the Jews in our Saviour’s time (Luke vii. 38), when guests were made very welcome, their sandals were unloosed, and their feet washed and carefully wiped, and, if the person were of high rank, anointed.
The integument of the foot varies in different animals, according to the nature of the ground upon which they tread and other circumstances. Thus the Elephant, the Hippopotamus, and the Rhinoceros, living in jungles and in marshy districts, have a more or less soft covering of skin. Oxen and Horses gallop about upon dry ground; and their feet are soled with thick hoofs of horn. The Dog has tough pads of skin with thick cuticle upon his feet; and the feet of the Feline tribe are muffled with fur so as to enable them to approach their prey with a noiseless tread. Man’s foot is, by nature, like the rest of the surface of his body, comparatively unprotected; but as the foot, by its efficiency, emancipates the hand from the drudgery of carrying, so does the latter make some return for this relief by providing artificial coverings which enable the foot to tread upon various surfaces, and protect it against the inclemencies of the seasons.
_On Shoes._
A few words on the subject of SHOES. No one will dispute the correctness of the principle that the shoe should be made to fit the foot; yet it is not a little remarkable that this principle is so often departed from in practice, and that the usual plan is to make the foot adapt itself to the shoe. That is, the shape of the shoe is determined according to the fancy of the maker or the dictates of fashion, and the foot is expected to mould itself accordingly. This is particularly the case with the fore part of the shoe, into which the toes, or most compliant parts of the foot, are squeezed. Thus, the shape of the sole of a sound foot is about that represented in fig. 47; the great toe is seen to be free from the others, and the line of its axis, prolonged backwards, traverses the centre of the heel. Compare this with the outline of the sole of a shoe as usually made; and the violence that is done to nature is at once perceived. The shoe is made quite symmetrical, or is curved a little in the part between the heel and the sole--in the “waist” as it is called--when the shoes are to be worn on the left and right foot respectively; and the toes, instead of being allowed to spread out a little, are pressed together, and made to converge to a point in the line of the middle toe, as seen in fig. 48.
[Illustration: Figs. 47. 48. 49. 50.]
The line of the great toe is thus quite altered, and the other toes are tightly wedged together (figs. 49 and 50); or, not being able to find room side by side, they overlap one another and form unsightly projections beneath the upper leather of the shoe. No wonder that “corns” and “bunions” and “in-growing toe-nails” are the frequent result of this treatment, and that so many persons are compelled to walk in a cautious, feeling manner, and to watch the ground narrowly, lest their cramped and tender toes come into contact with a stone or other projecting body.
How greatly to be lamented it is that the foot should be thus maltreated and distorted, and that walking should be made so painful, and that the shoe, which is intended to befriend and protect the foot, and which, if well fitted, would support it and preserve its shape, and make some amends to it for the rough hard roads upon which it is compelled to tread, should be thus perverted into a means of galling it and impairing its functions.
This subject has been treated of in a simple and concise manner by Dr Meyer, Professor of Anatomy at Zurich, in a small pamphlet, which has been translated into English by Mr Craig, and entitled, “_Why the Shoe pinches_[6].” I hope it may be read by boot-makers, and may lead to some improvement in their art. Dr Meyer very properly remarks that one of the main points to be attended to is, to allow the great toe to have its normal position; and this can be done by making the inner edge of the sole incline _in_wards, from the balls of the toes, instead of _out_wards. The accompanying drawing (fig. 51) gives the outline of a shoe designed under his superintendence, and shows the difference between it and the usual shape, the latter being indicated by the dotted outline. In fig. 52 the shoe is pointed, the pointing being effected from the outer side. I have often laboured, but laboured in vain, to impress the same point, and hope the more systematic attempt of Professor Meyer may lead to better results.
[6] _Why the Shoe pinches_, a contribution to Applied Anatomy by Hermann Meyer, M.D. Professor of Anatomy in the University of Zurich, translated from the German by John Stirling Craig, L.R.C.P.E., L.R.C.S.E., price sixpence.
The preceding four figures and the two following are taken from this pamphlet with Mr Craig’s permission.
[Illustration: Figs. 51. 52.]
With regard to the _heel-piece_, I have already said that it should not be high because it makes the step less steady and secure, and at the same time shortens it, and impairs the action of the calf-muscle. A high heel-piece, moreover, renders the position of the foot upon the ground oblique, placing the fore part at a lower level than the heel; thus the weight is thrown too much in the direction of the toes, and they are driven forwards and cramped against the upper leather of the shoe. The high-heel of a boot, therefore, tends to aggravate the evils which are caused by the insufficient and ill-adjusted space which is allowed to the toes.
* * * * *
This account of the foot has necessarily been very superficial and imperfect. There are many points in its anatomy to which I have not even alluded; but, if I have succeeded in giving you some idea of the general plan of its construction, and in stimulating you to further enquiry respecting the mechanism of the Human Frame, my purpose will have been served. Still more will it have been so, if you carry away with you some sense both of the Pride and of the Humility which the review of such a structure is calculated to excite--of pride, not selfish pride, but pride resulting from a consciousness of the nobility of your physical nature, a pride which will make you spurn what is bad and degrading, and will help you to aspire to what is elevated and good. The impressions resulting from a comparison of this one fragment of Nature’s work with our own most laboured achievements must quell any other pride; and the very admiration with which we contemplate the structure of our body impels us to walk humbly with our God, whose gift that body is.
THE HUMAN HAND.