Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 04.djvu/207

LEFT FOOT 167 FOOTBALL heel and the hinder part of the instep. They are the astragalus, which articu- lates with the tibia and fibula; the os calcis, or bone of the heel; the os navi- culare, or scaphoid bone, on the inner side of the foot, articulating with the astragalus; the os cuboides, on the outer side of the foot, articulating with the OS calcis, the three cuneiform or wedge- shaped bones (the internal, middle, and external) in front of the scaphoid bone, near the middle of the foot. The meta- tarsal bones are five in number, and be- long to the class of long bones. They are connected posteriorly with the tar- sal, and anteriorly with the phalangeal bones. One is attached to each of the cuneiform bones, and two to the os cubo- ides; and they diverge slightly outward as they proceed forward. Their anterior ends form the balls of the toes. The first metatarsal bone is the shortest and strongest, while the second is the largest CROSS SECTION OF HUMAN FOOT A. Tibia D. Metatarsal bones B. Bone of the heel E. Phalanges O. Tarsal bones F. Sesamoid bones G. Ankle joint — the others all decreasing in length ac- cording to their distance from it. These bones form the anterior portion of the instep. The phalanges, or bones of the toes, are 14 in number, three to each toe, except the great one, which has only two. The upper ones, which are longest and largest, are named the metatarsal; the next, the middle; and the most an- terior, the ungual phalanges. The bones of the foot, more particularly those that compose the tarsus and metatarsus, are firmly connected together, so that they are not liable to be displaced; and those parts where they articulate with one another being covered with a tolerably thick layer of highly elastic cartilage, , they possess a considerable degree of elasticity. They are bound together in various directions, by a number of liga- ments, one of the principal of which is the plantar ligament, which is of great strength, and passes through the under surface of the heel-bone near its extrem- ity, forward to the ends of the metatar- sal bones. The movements of the foot, which are permitted by the connecting ligaments, are effected by a variety of muscles. The principal movements are : (1) That at the ankle, formed by the tibia and fibula with the astragalus, by which the foot is bent and straightened; (2) between the astragalus and os calcis, by which the foot is rolled inward and outward; (3) between the first and sec- ond range of tarsal bones, admitting of a very slight motion, by which the arch of the foot may be somewhat increased or diminished. Besides these there are the less complicated movements of the metatarsal and phalangeal bones. The foot is usually so much interfered with in civilized life as to be deprived of much of its beauty, and even of its utili- ty j its movements being impeded by its being confined in tight-fitting boots, to the shape of which feet are made to con- form. In poetry, a foot is a meter, or meas- ure, composed of a certain number of long and short syllables. Some are dis- syllabic, consisting of two feet, as the spondee, iambus, trochee; and some tri- syllablic, as the dactyl, anapest, tribrach. These are what are called simple feet. There are others, consisting of four, five, or six syllables, which are reckoned dou- ble or compound feet, but which are com- monly resolved into single feet. In arithmetic, a measure of length, consisting of 12 inches, or 36 barley- corns laid end to end. It also expresses surface and solidity. A square foot is the same measure both in length and breadth, containing 12x12 = 144 square or superficial inches. A cubic or solid foot is the same measure in all direc- tions, or 12 inches long, broad and deep, containing 12 x 12 = 144 x 12 = 1,728 cubic inches to the solid or cubic foot. As this term is employed in almost all lan- guages as a linear measure, it has doubtless been derived from the length of the human foot. Though the denom- ination is the same, the measure itself varies considerably in different coun- tries. As a military term, soldiers who march and fight on foot; infantry; as, horse and foot. FOOTBALL, a field game played in the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and Australia. The game is said to have originated among the Ro- mans, but it was under the guidance of the public schools of Great Britain that it advanced and became popular. There are at the present time several styles of football, the American and English, Rug-