SECOND SECTION · THIRD CHAPTER · THIRD PART · Seventh Article
Seventh Article
It describes the muscles of the toes.
O dear one! It should be known that the scholars of anatomy have said as follows: The majority of the muscles that move the toes are flexor muscles,
and one of them originates from the outer side of the head of the heel, extending and descending over it.
It sends a tendon that splits into two, grasping the middle and the ring toe.
The second muscle is smaller than this, coming from behind the shin bone, sending a tendon to the outer surface of the foot, which again splits into two and grasps the index and ring toes.
Then, from each of these two parts, a tendon arises, joining the tendon arising from the other, and when the two become a single tendon, they reach the big toe and pull it.
The third muscle was mentioned earlier. It originates from the outer side of the inner ankle. [129/a] It descends between the two long bones. It sends one part to flex the foot. The other part is for pulling and moving the big toe. It brings it to the front part of the heel. These are placed upon the shin bone and serve to pull and move the toes.
Of the muscles inside the foot, ten reach the five toes, attaching to each from the right and left. If both move together, they hold the toes straight.
If one moves alone, the toe bends in that direction. Four muscles are placed upon the ankle, each attaching to a toe. They flex it inward. Two muscles are specific to the little toe and suffice to pull it. The wisdom in the abundance of muscles that pull the foot is that they make all the toes strong and give them strength, so that the toes can bear the body’s weight when standing up and standing. During walking, they move in a beautiful and orderly manner.
On the dorsal side of the toes, five muscles are placed upon the top of the foot, so that they pull and incline the toes outward. Five muscles are placed in the sole of the foot, each going to the toe closest to it from the inner side and pulling it inward. The total number of muscles in the human body that serve as means for the perfect execution of four hundred and twenty voluntary, conscious movements, as explained, reaches five hundred and thirty. “We declare the Exalted Creator, who creates and forms in the most beautiful manner, free from all deficiency.” What a perfect art this is, arranged in such an order as to astonish humankind. Surely, those of sound intellect who contemplate these matters deeply and thoroughly have taken many lessons and have come to know Allah, the Creator of this art.
“O Allah! Make us among those who contemplate Your works, who see all the particles of their bodies as Your gifts and bounties, and who give thanks to You for Your blessings. Make us among Your servants who remember You with Your beautiful names and know You through Your attributes. Make us among those who are always and everywhere content with Your decree and seek Your pleasure. We praise and glorify the Exalted Allah. Allah is free from all faults and deficiencies.”
[578] . Shersuf: The cartilage at the anterior ends of the ribs.
[579] . Vastus medialis: The origin of the vastus medialis is the linea aspera. This is on the line belonging to the middle supracondylar region of the femur. (Ibn Sīnā, op. cit., First Book, p. 70.)
O dear one! It should be known that the scholars of anatomy have said as follows: Three of the muscles that move the knee joint are located on the front of the thigh. These are the largest and finest of the muscles found in the thigh. Their function is known to be extension. One of these three muscles appears as if it is double-layered and has two bodies, one originating from the greater trochanter and one from the front of the thigh. One of these two bodies is fleshy and attaches to the front of the kneecap without a tendon. The other side is membranous and ends on the two inner sides of the thigh. Of the remaining two muscles, one has been explained with the muscles that abduct the thigh. It is known to originate from the membranous partitions that separate some hollows of the pelvic bone. The second originates from the outer trochanter and goes to encircle the kneecap and to protect the parts beneath it. From there, it reaches the shin bone and extends it to extend the knee.
. Shersuf: The cartilage at the anterior ends of the ribs.
. Vastus medialis: The origin of the vastus medialis is the linea aspera. This is on the line belonging to the middle supracondylar region of the femur. (Ibn Sīnā, op. cit., First Book, p. 70.)
Each pair is two muscles that, from the shersuf to the groin and from the hāzira to the gadrūf-i hanjarī, intersect like a cross, and the two sides of each pair meet at the groin from the right and left. The two sides of the other pair meet at the throat (larynx). These two are placed upon the fleshy parts of two broad muscles from every side.
It explains, in a wise manner, the nature of the nerves, arteries and veins, the organs of the body, the knowledge of character from external appearance (physiognomy), the states of the qalb (the heart), the human qualities that arise due to the differences in the forms and shapes of the organs, and the conditions dependent on the contraction and twitching of the organs.