HUMAN LIFE.
Through the aid of scientific researches, we are informed that the development of a being begins with a soft jelly-like substance. Later, the parts intended for bone, become cartilage or gristle, progressing with more or less uniformity from a few hours after conception, till about the seventh month of pregnancy.
Anatomists nearly agree in stating that not more than six of the bones are ossified at birth, the greater number being finished at different periods of childhood. The lower portion of the vertebræ or backbone is not usually completed until after the twenty-first year of adult life. The bony framework of the adult man or woman is composed of about 246 bones, including the teeth. These are covered by about twice that number of muscles or fleshy supports. The muscles, cords and ligaments, which serve as so many bands for the support and protection of the body, are generally much larger and firmer in men than in women. The custom of suspending wearing apparel from the shoulders, conforms to the laws of nature; as those muscles are so arranged as to admit of considerable pressure without injury. Pressure upon the soft parts, as tying many bands around the waist, or tight lacing, is apt to cramp the internal organs of digestion, and crowd them out of their natural position, thereby inducing headache, or other unpleasant feelings.