The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-05-24
RIGHT HAND, LEFT LEG.
Scientific Evidence That They Mutu-
ally Balance Each Other
in Use.
Race Tracks Laid With Reference
to the Strength Of the
Left Leg.
The Rule, Keep to the Right. Based Upon
Universal Law-Soldiers Start
From the Left Foot.

Universal Iaw-SOldters start
From the Left Foot.
There is popular idea that because the
RIGHT arm is more often used and stronger
than the left, so the right leg is stronger
than the left. This is not correct; there is
evidence, says writer in the Nineteenth
Century, that the left leg in most people is
stronger than the right. From the theoret-
ical point of view, it would appear'that in
all manual labor requiring increased use OF
the right hand the left leg is also employed
on the principle of equilibrium. In the case
of the lower animals Except ambulators-
camels, etc., and babies, when walking on
all tours, the right fore limb moves with
the left hind limb, and vice versa. 1t fol-
lows from this that man. using the right
arm more than the left, would probably use
the left leg more than the right. Many
people find less exertion in walking round
large circles to the right than IN gong
to the left. This is also the case IN
race paths for athletic sports. near
" all of which are arranged for the racers
to 90 in circles to the right IN running.
Again, travellers have observed that hunters,
when lost on prairies, wander round In cir
Giles to the right. This fact has been attrib-
uted to their following the course OF .ne
earily the case. Many skaters can perform
more figures on the left than on the right foot
or, at any rate, in commencing hgures are
more readily done on the left foot. with
rope dancers it ID usually observed That the
more complicated feats of balancing are
performed on the left foot. In dancing,
ryr.tion is chiefly to the right, but few be-
inc able to reverse. In dressing. many men
must put their left leg into their trousers
first, before the right, some going 80 tar as
to state that if, through some accident,
they should have reversed tho process, they
have TO remove the offending right trouser
or boot before continuing their toilet.
The rule in walking nearly all tho world
over is to keep to the right. Curiously, q
very large number of people are unaware OF
poses of observation on this point, a hun
dred men and a hundred women we're Sc
lected casually from the better educated
classes, the men being principally London
students of medicine or undergraduates at
the university. and the women ladies IN g.. 50
lowing question was put to each one: In
driving the rule is to keep to the left; Is
there any rule for walking? Dividing the
answers to this question into three classes,
A, B and G: (A) those who answered cor Or
", zone Keeps to the left" and CO.. those
Who did not know. The result was A, 81
per cent; B, 8 per cent, and G, 81 per cent
Thus it follows that the fact that the
in the streets is not because they are aware
of any rule, but for some other reason
Again. it being an almost universal rule tt
keep to the right, there must be common
origin of the law. A reason given IN Eng
land for such rule is because OF the moo
iv,n tImaS
or may not haye something to do with 1t
origin; but one of the exceptions to the rul
ours among the Afghans, who keep to tn
left in order that they may not leave thei
unguarded side exposed when passing
stranger on the road.
It is maintained that, the left leg beinl
stronger than the right, there IS always
tendency on the part of individuals to beal
to the right, and hence the origin OF thu
universal law.
ty of people is often clearly demonstrated
crowds always tend to bear to the right, al
was we'll illustrated recently in the Pari
exhibition in the case of tn
two large wooden bridges erec e
opposite the Trocadero to convey foo
passengers over the roadway. Here, al
though for what reason was not apparent
the authorities commanded people to pas
over the bridges to the left, instead, as II
the case of other bridges in the same exhl
bition, to the. right. After crossing tn
seen bearing to the right. causing endles
pushing on crowded days. The left lie
being the stronger, it is naturally MOI
readily used than the opposite one. Thu
troops in England. Germany and Franc
right hand is the more readily put first int
action, 80 is it with the left foot; and SO,
mounting horses or bicycles, it is the le
foot which is placed i'll the stirrup or on tt
step. In bicycle races and bicycles on Il
stage they usually circle to the left, IL
probability being that, doing more wol
with the left than right leg, the machil
more readily and agreeably bears to Il
left.
So in jumping. most men take off fro
tho left foot. In football opinions differ
to which of tho two feet is brought II
more frequently into action. In the waite
however, most men, especially in racln
swim with the right half of the body dow
ward, thus not only maintaining the
equilibrium with the heavier half lowe
but also placing the chief propelling powe
namely the left leg, in the most direct III
of action.
Some few years ago MIR. G. H. Darw
made some observations of the followil
nature: He got eight village schoolbo,
from ten to twelve years of age, and offer
shilling to the boy who should wa
straightest blindfolded. Before the CO
test he scattered some sawdust on t
ground, and, after making each of the DO
walk over it, measured their strides fro
right to left and from left to right. !
states that they were ell right-handed
throwing stone, but believed that two
them exhibited some marks of being part
left-handed. The six who We're total
right handed took longer strides from le
TO right than from right to left, hopp
with the left foot and rose in jumping fro
that leg. Taking them then into tie
and making them successfully look at
stick at about 40 yards distance, he tn
blindfolded them and started them to wa
guiding them straight for the first three
four PAGES; the result was that the six rig
handed ard left-legged boys all divers
the right, the two somewhat left-hant
and right-ieered boys diverged to the le
MIR. Darwin. in his paper, also mentit
that in observations upon himself and SO
friends, I'VE sli diverged to the right.
cepting one of us who was strongly lie
handed.H
With respect to measurement of
limbs, DIR. Carson ascertained the size
the two legs in the skeletons of sevel
persons, with the following result:
per cent showed right and left limb.
equal length, and of these only two ca
in which the femur and tibla of one s
correspondent respectively to the femur
tibia of the other. In 35.S per cent
right limb was longer than the left. the
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