Structure and Functions of the Body: A Hand-Book of Anatomy and Physiology for Nurses and Others Desiring a Practical Knowledge of the SubjectFiske, Annette
Science
Structure and Functions of the Body: A Hand-Book of Anatomy and Physiology for Nurses and Others Desiring a Practical Knowledge of the Subject
Fiske, Annette
Human anatomy; Physiology
The nature and extent of the motion of a joint is defined and the bones
are held together by strong bands of fibrous tissue or ligaments, these
ligaments being more fully developed in joints where there is great
freedom of motion or where there is great weight to be supported. In a
ball-and-socket joint, such as the hip, there is a ligament in the form
of a strong capsule which surrounds the joint on all sides and limits
its motion, while hinge joints, like the elbow, and pivot joints, such
as that formed by the atlas on the axis, have lateral ligaments that
allow of freer motion. In the shoulder-joint, which is the most freely
movable joint in the body, the capsular ligament is very lax.
In general the kinds of motion possible in joints may be said to be
flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, circumduction, and rotation.
When much violence is applied to a joint and no dislocation results, as
in a sprain, there is often much stretching and even laceration of the
ligaments.
=Muscle.=--The flesh, which forms a large proportion of the weight of
the body, consists of muscular tissue. Of this two kinds are found:
1. The striated or striped muscle of animal life, which is under the
control of the will and so is known as voluntary muscle, and 2. the
unstriped or smooth muscle of organic life over which we have no
control, that is, the involuntary muscle. Each fiber of striped muscle
has an elastic, membranous sheath, the sarcolemma, and consists of
rod-shaped cells with a nucleus along the edge, set end to end and
having crosswise striations. In unstriated muscle the fibers, which
have no sarcolemma, consist of oval or spindle-shaped cells, with
a nucleus much smaller than that of striped muscle and situated in
the middle. In both kinds of muscle the fibers are bound together
with connective tissue and blood-vessels into fasciculi or bundles,
and many bundles go to make up a muscle. The muscle in turn has a
connective tissue envelope or sheath, the fascia. These fasciæ are
found throughout the body, the superficial ones being just beneath
the skin, while the deep ones not only form sheaths for the various
muscles but form partitions between them and serve to strengthen their
attachments. The striped muscles are those of motion, while the
unstriped occur in the hollow organs, surrounding the cavity and in
some cases lessening its capacity by their contraction.
An intermediate form of muscle known as cardiac muscle occurs in the
heart. Here the fibers have striations but the nucleus is generally in
the middle of the cell and the fibers branch and run together.
[Illustration]
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