Leg

“ The Legs.—The bones of the leg are the thigh or upper leg-bone, the knee-pan or knee-cap, which covers the front of the knee, the two bones of the lower leg, the heel-bone and six other bones in the ankle, five bones in that part of the foot next to the ankle, and fourteen bones in the toes. ”

“ SECTION III. LAMENESS IN THE FORE LEG. Anatomo-Physiological Review of parts of the Fore Leg.
For supporting weight, whether the subject is at rest or in motion, the bony column of the leg, together with attached ligaments, tendons and muscles, is wonderfully well adapted by nature for the function which they perform. The several bones which go to make up the supportive portion of the leg, are so joined at their points of articulation, that a minimum degree of strain is put upon each attachment. ”

“ Now take fine, clean tow, of good long fibre, and, beginning at the foot, proceed to wrap it around the leg bones, smoothly and evenly, to replace the muscles which have been cut away. The lower part of the leg is flat on the inside and round on the outside, [117] almost bare of flesh at the ankle. Remember always that the flesh on the "calf" of the leg, and the forearm, lies behind the bones, swelling out toward the back and the inside of the limb, and in front the skin lies upon the bone itself. ”

“ For the purpose of walking, we first bear upon one leg the weight of the body, which pressed equally on both. The other leg is then raised, and the foot quits the ground by rising from the heel to the point. For that purpose, the leg must be bent upon the thigh, and the thigh upon the pelvis: the foot is then carried straight forward, at a sufficient height to clear the ground without grazing it. ”

“ On the other hand, the femur is united, as with us, to a massive pelvis; the articular surfaces of the knee, the knee-pan, and the two immovable bones of the leg, are just what the exclusive function of locomotion requires; the foot is plantigrade, with a prominent heel and close toes, and is articulated perpendicularly by its arch with the leg, as in man. ”

“ When thigh of a leg is exposed, take hold of leg outside of skin and push knee forward so it is uncovered inside of skin. Sever knee joint with scalpel or scissors, using care not to cut through skin on outside of joint. ”

“ The pelvic, or hind, limb supports the body. The bones of each leg are the femur, which constitutes the thigh, the tibia and the fibula, which represents the leg, and the metatarsus and the phalanges, which form the foot. ”

“ It is true that by carefully noting the manner in which a lame leg is performing its functions, and closely scrutinizing the motions of the whole extremity, and especially of the various joints which enter into its structure; by minutely examining every part of the limb ”

“ Unbuckling the leg at night on going to bed, and having to hop about or use a crutch when the leg is off. Putting on the leg in the morning. In sitting down, always some consideration as to how the leg is to be adjusted. Going up and down stairs, the real leg first at every step, and the artificial leg brought up behind it. ”

“ Movements of the foot must be employed, such as inward and outward flexion, twisting the whole leg from the hip, and many others, calculated to strengthen the left leg, hip, and ankle.”
[7] As a matter not wholly out of place, it may be said that the graceful walker stands upright, and in taking a step uses the muscles and joints of the hip, the knee, and the toes. Many people use the toes but very little, and their step lacks spring, elasticity, life, and grace; while others do not use the muscles in front of the hip enough, and their walk has no dignity. ”

“ With the patient on his back, the leg having been straightened and any deformity removed as far as possible by grasping the foot and pulling directly away from the body while an assistant steadies the thigh, a large, soft pillow, inclosed in a pillowcase, is placed under the leg. ”

“ Running slowly on the toes, rising and falling on one leg and then on the other many times, rising on the toes and falling back slowly on the heels two or three or four hundred times in succession without bending the knees—these exercise the proper leg muscles. ”

“ There may be a feeling of weight in the limb, and in the case of the knee and ankle the patient tires on walking and drags the leg with more or less of a limp. Movements of the joint are permitted, but are limited in range. ”

“ When he began to wear an artificial leg it reassumed in time its old position, and he is never at present aware of the leg as shortened, unless for some time he talks and thinks of the stump, and of the missing leg, when ... the direction of attention to the part causes a feeling of discomfort, and the subjective sensation of active and unpleasant movement of the toes. ”

“ We do not use our own limbs other than as machines; and a leg is only a much better wooden leg than any one can manufacture.
“Observe a man digging with a spade; his right fore-arm has become artificially lengthened, and his hand has become a joint. The handle of the spade is like the knob at the end of the humerus ”

“ The limbs that take their shape from the muscles of locomotion, and the internal parts concerned in those high vital offices, of which minerals and vegetables are wholly destitute, are examples and proof of the configuration proper to the animal kingdom. The thigh, leg, arm, fore-arm, finger, the neck and shoulders, the chest, and the abdomen meeting it and resting on the pelvic bones, are felt to be beautiful or true to the standard form as they taper or conform to this intuitive life-type. ”

“ On the contrary, if the leg is placed only slightly forward with but little flexion of the knee, as explained in the detailed description, the upper body has to be bent further downward in order that the hands reach the lower leg at the ankle. ”

“ There would be distinction in a leg, which in addition to its usual functions, would also bend forward at the knee, or had a surprising sidewise joint—and there would be profit, too, if one cared to make a show of it. ”

“ They go without any covering for the thigh, except that before spoken of, round the middle, which reaches down half way the thighs; but they make for their legs a sort of stocking either of skins or cloth: these are sewed as near to the shape of the leg as possible, so as to admit of being drawn on and off. ”

“ QUESTIONS ON THE LIMBS AND JOINTS OF THE BODY.
What is the trunk of your body?—"All the body but the head and limbs."
Which are your limbs?—"My two arms and my two legs."
How many limbs have you?—"Four."
How many parts has your arm?—"Two parts: my upper arm and my fore-arm."
How many parts has your leg?—"Two parts: my thigh and my lower leg."
How many joints has your arm?—"Three joints: my shoulder joint, my elbow joint, my wrist joint."
How many joints has your leg?—"Three joints: my hip joint, my knee joint, my ankle joint." ”

“ The limbs grew relatively much longer; the bones of the fore-arm and lower leg were fused together, the one on the inner side (radius and tibia) enlarging to carry the entire weight and the external one (ulna and fibula) becoming more or less atrophied.
[305] ”

“ These, whether taken conjointly or singly, present the greatest analogy with the muscular arrangement of the same parts in man. We find the rounded, elongated, conical thigh, the knee extending itself in the same direction with the thigh-bone, and a well-fashioned calf to the leg. ”

“ Picture for a moment this muscle sending its cords or tendons from behind the leg over the knee, and then drawn back by the heel, and you will see that the more heavily the bird sleeps, pressing upon its legs, the more the knees will be bent forward, the tighter the cord must be stretched, and the stronger the grasp will be upon the bough. ”

“ It can be practised by a man whose leg has been amputated, preferably the right leg, for the resting point, in handling the plane, is on the left leg. However, we cannot forget that one-armed men have achieved wonderful results. ”

“ We must remember that on the dorsal surface of the foot in man we find but a single muscle—the dorsalis pedis. The remaining subcutaneous structures of this region consist of the tendons of the anterior muscles of the leg which occupy this dorsal aspect. ”

“ In serial homology with the thigh and leg are the bones of the arm and we find that these are undergoing an increase in length commensurate with the increase of the legs. So the boy outgrows his clothes; his coat sleeves are drawn up half way to his elbows and his trousers half way to his knees. The muscles scarcely keep pace with the bones in their growth, and tend to be flabby and to lack usual tonicity. ”

“ Then the turning out of the toes causes the legs to splay outward from the knees downwards—a very conspicuous condition in a tall man like this one—and you notice that the left leg splays out more than the other. ”

“ The leg or the arm is the usual location selected. In infants the sore can be protected better on the leg; in children of the run-about age, the arm is the better location because it can be kept at rest easier. ”

“ To give form to a leg, and bring out the prominent muscles, take a very long needle and a very long piece of twine, and sew through and through the leg on certain lines, putting on pressure to produce certain depressions that exist between the larger muscles. ”

“ Lie flat on your back on a bed or, better still, a mat on the floor, hands under head. Without bending knees, raise the right leg as high as possible and lower it slowly. Repeat a number of times, then raise the other leg, then alternate. ”

“ The body is longer, the hips broader, and the abdomen more prominent. Relatively to the length of the body, the arms, legs, feet and hands are shorter than in men, the lower leg and arm are shorter in proportion to the upper leg and arm. ”

“ The way in which the blood is carried to the foot in the pronograde mammals differs from that of Man; a large branch called the internal saphenous comes off the common femoral in the lower third of the thigh, and this runs down the inner side of the leg to the foot. ”

“ Grasp the right ankle by the right hand, and, standing on the left leg, bend it until the right knee touches the floor, then rise slowly to a standing position again. The left hand must be kept extended all the time and must touch nothing. ”

“ The large or apparently Sweled legs particularly observable in the women, are obtained in a great measure by tying a cord tight around the leg above the ancle bone. their method of Squating or resting themselves on their hams which they Seam from habit to prefer to Setting, no doubt contributes much to this deformity of the legs by preventing free circulation of the blood. ”

“ In discussing the question, he used to like the case to that of the boy who, when asked how many legs his calf would have if he called its tail a leg, replied, “five,” to which the prompt response was made that calling the tail a leg would not make it a leg. ”

“ The upper part of the trunk is known as the thorax, or chest, and the lower part as the abdomen. The portions of the trunk to which the arms are attached are the shoulders, and those to which the legs are joined are the hips, while the central rear portion between the neck and the hips is the back. The fingers, the hand, the wrist, the forearm, the elbow, and the upper arm are the main divisions of each of the upper extremities. ”

“ The legs—with their heavy thigh, the swollen knee portion, the swollen calf and slender ankle, all touch on the outline length as they lie over each other, with no open space between, or no point where one folds down upon the other with a sharp line of contact of the two surfaces. The same thing, too, is noticeable in the arms and in the fingers of the hand, where the flesh, instead of sloping away— one rounded surface finely leaving another—is cut down square, as if some unnatural out growth of flesh had formed a uniting portion beneath the member. ”

“ There are no legs, nor even any indication of legs, the body being little more than a block of wood, with a hole at the top for the insertion of the neck, and a smaller hole at each shoulder for the insertion of the arms. ”

“ In cases of paraplegia the legs should be covered with warm woollen hand-knitted stockings, and a cradle employed to protect the feet from the continuous, weight of the bed-clothes, a fruitful source of foot drop. ”

“ The bones of the fore legs show with beautiful distinctness inside the shadowy flesh, while a closer inspection makes visible the ribs, the cartilages of the ear, and a lighter region in the centre of the body, which marks the location of the heart. ”

“ Your head is set logically on your neck, and your neck is correctly placed on your spine, and your legs and arms are properly attached to your torso—your entire body, anatomically speaking, is hinged, hung, supported, developed as the ideal body should be. ”

“ From morning until night, day after day, year after year, the muscles of her shoulders, her back, her hips, her legs, her abdomen are suppled and developed until they will respond to her wishes as readily as her slender, henna-stained fingers. ”

“ If this joint had been made pliable on all sides, as that of the shoulder, or that of the thigh bone with the hip, a man would have had his legs bent on each side as often as backwards and forwards, and seldom or never straight with the thigh. ”