Object Lessons on the Human Body Part 5

FOR PRIMARY CLa.s.sES.

I.

1. Close both hands.

2. Raise the forefinger of the right hand, as the index or pointing finger.

3. Place the index finger upon the lower thumb joint of the left hand.

4. Draw the index finger down to the wrist, over the bone between the thumb knuckle and the wrist, and count "One."

5. Place the index finger on the knuckle of the first finger.

6. Draw the index finger down to the wrist, over the bone leading from the first finger to the wrist, and count "Two."

7. So on, for each of the three other bones of the hand. Repeat until no mistake is made in touching or counting.

II.

1. Raise the thumb, and place the index finger of the right hand on the middle of the upper part of the thumb for bone "Six"; then

2. On the lower part of the thumb for bone "Seven." Repeat from the beginning, until the children can touch and count each bone properly.

III.

1. Keep the thumb erect; raise the first finger of the left hand.

2. Place the index finger on the bone between the tip and the first joint of the first finger for bone "Eight."

3. Between the first and middle joint for bone "Nine."

4. Between the middle and third joint for bone "Ten." Review, from the beginning, until the cla.s.s can touch and count every bone as directed.

IV.

1. Keep the thumb and forefinger erect; raise the second finger and touch, as in the lesson on the first finger bones, "Eleven," "Twelve," and "Thirteen." Review.

2. Proceed in the same manner for the third and fourth fingers, always beginning with the bone nearest the tip of the finger, and touching that at the lowest part last.

If the exercise has been properly performed, every child will say "Nineteen" as its index finger touches the lowest bone of the little finger, and all the fingers of every left hand will be outspread.

THE BONES

OF THE HEAD: Skull 8 Face, including the lower jaw 14 Tongue 1 Ears 8 ---- 31 OF THE TRUNK: Spine 24 Ribs 24 Breastbone 8 Shoulder blades 2 Collar bones 2 ---- 60 OF THE UPPER LIMBS: Upper arms 1 x 2 = 2 Fore-arms 2 x 2 = 4 Wrists 8 x 2 = 16 Hands 19 x 2 = 38 ---- 60 OF THE LOWER LIMBS: Thighs 1 x 2 = 2 Knee-pans 1 x 2 = 2 Lower legs 2 x 2 = 4 Feet 26 x 2 = 52 ---- 60

Total, 211, not including the teeth.[1]

We teach the children to say "about two hundred," because there is not always the same number of bones in the body. In some parts two or three bones unite and form one bone. For example: the breastbone of a child is made up of eight pieces; some of these unite as it becomes older, so that when fully grown it has but three pieces in this bone.

[1] The teeth are not bone, but a kind of soft, bone-like substance, called _dentine_. Common ivory is dentine.

PART IV.

FORMULAS FOR THE LESSONS ON THE ORGANS OF SENSE.

1. _The Eyes._--My eyes are to see with.

My eye is like a ball in a deep, bony socket. The black circle in the centre is the pupil or window of my eye; the colored ring is the iris or curtain; the white part is the eyeball.

My upper and lower eyelids cover and protect my eyes.

My eyebrows are for beauty, and keep the perspiration from rolling into my eyes.

My eyes are washed by teardrops every time I wink my eyelids.

2. _The Ears._--My ears are to hear with:

the rim of my ear, the flap of my ear, the drum of my ear.

The drum of my ear is protected by a fence of short, stiff hairs, and by a bitter wax about the roots of these hairs.

3. _The Nose._--My nose is to smell and breathe with; it is in the middle of my face:

my two nostrils, the bridge of my nose, the cartilage, the tip of my nose.

My nostrils lead to a pa.s.sage back of my mouth through which I breathe.

The cartilage separates my nose into two parts.

4. _The Mouth._--My mouth is to speak, eat, and breathe through:

my upper lip, my lower lip.

In my mouth are:

my tongue, my lower teeth, my upper teeth, my lower teeth, and my upper and lower jaws, covered with flesh called _gum_.

5. _The Teeth._--My teeth are used in eating and talking.

My teeth are made of a soft kind of bone, covered with enamel.

I have three kinds of teeth: cutting teeth, tearing teeth, grinding teeth.

A young child has twenty teeth, ten in each jaw.