New-York tribune., 1882-02-28
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
TIE HORSE IN MOTION.

Tbs@ry II Qnadrupcdsl Locomouon. BY j. ID; B;
SrrIu,N, K NJ. NJ. ID. EXccnted and PuohHneu
nndcr tbe anspices of LELAND STANFORD. Alto. PIP.
l27. Boston James Il. OSgood company io0-'
For several wears those interested IN such matters
have been familiar with few photographs, vi
rather series of photographs. taken oS MI ""9
bridge for Governor Stanford, TO Illustrate "uU
,c;aatc tho GAIT of the horse. These pictures the
accuracy of which could not be douDteu gave an
;dea of the movements OF the horses limbs quite
aiaoropt from that commonly entertained. MI
stanford finding his previous doubts as TO accepted
theories confirmed. has, with an enthusiasm ana
Iberality which his unaSsuming preface anu houes'
claims give no hint of, followed up his trSt Ill.
ouirics with the more extensive investigation Vi
which the present handsome volume Is the result.
Essentially the WORK is an atlas OF plates with
explanatory text rather than an llIus'ra'eu oooN'
for the plates are not only more important thah 'o
,ext Inn, upon the Photographic evidence the whole
case rests In the slower PAGES of the horse the eye
can follow the sequence of steps and the evolution
of each limb with toerable accuracy, and the re-
orl,s of tire photographic method with regard 10
tbe,n are accordingly less surprising. When, how
over race horse is at the height OF his Speeu II iS
beyond the power of an ordinary eve 10 recoiu en-
tirely distinct impressions of the movements. Ioi'
if n milo is run in n minute and forty seconds by IA
horse whose stride is twenty feet II Is eNueiI '""'
but twoflths of a second are allowed 10 ea'h s'"o
frneaning bv stride the distance passed over ny
one foot from the time it leaves the ground until IL
reaches If again measured TO corresponding points
and each stride as the photographs show Is OIL
yided into five parts movements, each OF whcn IS
loss than oue-twelfth of second in duration. Inc
visnal impressions overlap TO a certaln degree anu
so deceive the observer.
Before considering tine results 1t WI! DC Woith
while TO examine the methods by which the photo-
graphs were obtained. " instantaneous eAposu'0
of the plate by means of spring sllde OF shu.'oi'
we presume. is pretty well understood for thoSo
not familiar with it it NAV be explained thaU tho
slide has an aperture in the centre, and is placed III
front of the lens and drawn up as TO MAKE tehSo
q strong rubber spring, and at the same time 10 eA-
clude the light from the camera and prepared patc'
A. the desired moment by touching latch OF
tr;gger the sprlnC is allowed to draw the sllde
ouicklv downward During the instant that inc
aperure is crossing the face OF the lens the pa'e Is
exposed In this particular set OF experiments tho
calculated duration of the exposure was not greater
than one five -thousandth part of a second III
ordinary work the latch is touched Dy the operator
but in Mr. MuybrdGes experiments II was lohhu
nacessorv TO have the release of the spring mace
through electric connection, automatic Nheh INC
animal was driven one sulky wheel passed. over the
connecting wires exposed in a groove; when he
,ras runninr his breast severed threads at every
foot and in so doing made the electrlc conhecuoh'
beginning with camera the huhlDer was III
creased until it reached twenty-four. Ihey were
then placed one foot apart ami the arthclai oach-
ground was divided by lines also one 1901 apart
the divisions being numbered so that the poslt'oh
s well as posture of the horse is accurately denheu
in the photographs. Horizontal lines upon tno
background serve to show the elevation OF the eet
,or, the ,,ronud. By these contrYances and some
Others perfectly automatic register ol inc nloNo-
~ II horse has been obtained.
In tbe preface Mr. Stanford remarks: "When
tbesc experimcnts were made it was not contem-
Mated to publish the results but the facts revealed
seemed so important that determined to have Il
careful analysis made of them. For tins purpose IL
was necessary to review the whole subject OF the
locomotive machinery of tho horse" Ihls review
was nrnstcd to DR.. Stillm'n, who made the heceS-
sary dissections and prepared the text Alor al
;ntrodnctory chapter devoted TO a sketch Of past
investigations in this field and to defence OF 'he
anthors tecf in a Creator, he proceeds to the deh-
nite task of explaining the locomotOry apparatus
onatomically and physiolOgcally. The treatment Is
nc little technical as is practicable rs The authors
desicn is not to address strictly scicntic audience
but to place the matter within the reach Oh heh ol
no special knowledge of anatomy Chap'er H.
gives brief and general account OF the structures
In question: bones, hgaments. muscles, tehdohs etc
Chopter III. is devoted to the muscles and ten
dous of the posterior extremity and thelr actohs.
10 illustrate this chapter and the next plate OF
the skeleton is given and nine coiored plates amer
drawings by Mr.. Hahn irOmd iSsectonS by Dr sun
man These plates are well drawn anu "eH eAo-
cpted bpr bv some oversight want of correspond
ence between the references III the text ana the
lettering of the plates is frequent and from Plate
JY TO which several let;ered references are made
n letters are omitted. BY the aid of our previous
know!eIrc of mvology and by dint OF repeated
readings we are able to avoid being mised by theSe
errors ana 10y obscure phrases but we do not thiih
one without previous technical knowledge would
10 eouallv fortunate Plate y. shows very pret'lly
The automatic action of the stiic and hook JOINTS
which insures the simultaneous neXlon ana cNteh-
sion of the two articulatiOns and also shows the
nowerfnl reinforcement of the back tendons by the
strong band called the snpcnsOry llglment which
relieves the muscular tissue from carrying the
weight of the body in certain emergencies. In re-
gard to this Dr. StIllman remarks:
There Is no one fact brought ont by the expert
,neuts Of Mr. Stanford with instant lneouS phOloG-
raphy OF more interest than the action OF the SuS-
pensOry ligament. g.. ii, J., o,, that
the rastern forms an acute angle with tho metataI-
sus. Its position indicates the length Oh llC GTa' "a
ruents and it is their resistance that prevents ln6
further extension of the Joint, but IN running ana
fast rottng this hgament is put upon the suetcIl,
when TIE limb is shortened by the welShto oI ie DoHy
10 snch an extent that the pastern Is maze 10 take
a position at right angles TO the metatarsuS ana
horizontal with the ground See the plates %, Gi
horses speeding pdssim.) ElOngauOn OF the unb
hSrins Immediately after the perpendicular is
passed. ami as the fetock was the last Joint to
reflex in shortening it Is the nrt to recover tS
normal extension. The spring continues ITS acton
durIng the rest of tho stride Strengthening the fet
lock iont as the leg becomes elongated after the
passaee over it of the centre of gravity stli sustain
- ibe hodv with undninished force until 1t
Leaves the ground. when being relieved from the
superimpOsed weight, the teXor muscles Ie1ain con.
froI and il is the reaction of these llganents tat
,,roduces the quick movement, quicker than Is pos
sible in muscular contraction, which causes the ieeI
4 .tf.D Il. N,lalnl = n 4