Page:Structure and functions of the body; a hand-book of anatomy and physiology for nurses and others desiring a practical knowledge of the subject (IA structurefunctio00fiskrich).pdf/27

 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 cross-*wise 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