£*•

24 ESOTERIC ANTHROPOLOGY.
wedge-like bone which forms the keystone of an arch,
made by the bones of the pelvis, which, in their turn,
rest upon the thigh-bones, and these on again the bones
of the legs and feet. Twelve ribs on each side are at
tached to the dorsal vertebra : these curve round in
front, and by cartilaginous connections with the sternum,
or breast-bone, form the bony case of the thorax, and
protect the heart and lungs. The arms are joined to
the body loosely, by means of movable shoulder-blades,
which are kept in place by muscles, and means by of
the collar-bone.
The points about the bony skeleton most worthy of
notice,
are :
The protection of the brain by the eight bones,of the
cranium ; those on the surface being formed of two
plates with a sponge-like layer of bone between, so as
to give the delicate internal organs the greatest possible
projection from external injuries;
The strong and flexible backbone, and its protection
of the spinal marrow, or extension of the brain ; so
formed as to sustain an immense weight ; to bend easily
in every direction ; to afford points of attachment, for
hundreds of muscles; and to be broken wtth great diffi
culty ;
The coat-of-mail-like, movable thorax, formed of the
dorsal vertebra, ribs, and sternum, which expands and
contracts its imensions in rising and falling ;
The bony pelvis, strong, to support the weight
of the body, and so formed as to sustain and protect
the contents of the pelvis ; and in the female, larger
than in the male, to allow of the birth of a full-grown
foetus;