Spinal curvature and awkward deportment : their causes and prevention in children / by George Müller ; English edition edited and adapted by Richard Greene.

  • Müller, Georg, 1861-
Date:
1894
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Spinal curvature and awkward deportment : their causes and prevention in children / by George Müller ; English edition edited and adapted by Richard Greene. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

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    From the spine grow twenty-four ribs—twelve on each side—and these partially enclose the chest •organs, form its walls, and terminate at the waist. The spine itself has the appearance of a firm, notched column, and consists of a number of small bones fitted into each other. At the top these are small, becoming larger as they descend. The connection between these bones is loose enough to permit of a slight movement. They are twenty- four in number, and are called vertebree. The upper seven compose the cervical segment of the vertebral column, and are called cervical vertebrae. The next twelve are termed thoracic vertebrae, and form the thoracic or dorsal spine. The lowest five are the lumbar vertebrae, and form the lumbar segment of the spine. From here the parts are firmly joined, so that no movement is possible. Between the twenty-four separate bones are carti- laginous cushions, which increase their elasticity, and give to every two vertebrae a slight move- ment. Add all these little movements together and the result is the sum total of the spinal movement,— which is considerable. It has three principal motions bending backwards and forwards, bending to the right or left, and turning on its own axis. One might compare the vertebral column to a many jointed pliable staff, but the comparison is not alto- gether happy, because the vertebral column in its