Week2

Vertebral Column-

We started learning about the Vertebral Column today. In latin it literally means "to turn". The vertebral column is not a solid form but rather made of overlapping segments that are very mobile, however it does appear as one continuous line when drawn.  There are 4 curves that make up the vertebral column.  The two primary curves we are born with, which are the thoracic and sacrac, and they always stay the same.  The secondary curves, the cervical and lumbar start appearing with the evolution of muscles development (as in the neck) and movement.  These secondary curves curve toward the front of the body.  The primary and secondary curves counterbalance each other with alternating inward and outward curves.

It is crazy how much movement you actually see in the spinal column when you take time to look at it.  I liked our 15 and 30 second gesture drawings, focusing on just the backbone.  Looking at my page afterwards, filled with curvy lines, you could really see all the movement and motion going on, just through those simple lines.  Our 10 minute examinations of the spinal column really made me check over the exact curves that flow through the backbone by using measuring tools and looking closely at angles.

Muscles-

We learned about muscles today.  Muscles follow 3 rules: 1) they contract 2) they have attachments that always stay the same 3) they must cross at least 1 joint.  Tendons are the connective tissues that attach muscle to the bone and promote mobility! (not to be confused with ligaments that essentially limit motion) We also went over some vocabulary terms referencing angles/sides of the body.  Front/Back Anterior/Posterior.  Pelvis up(flex)/Pelvis down(extend) Ventral/Dorsal. Outside/Middle Lateral/Medial. Towards the head/Toward the tail Cranial/Caudal. We are getting started on sculpting our clay models, focusing on spinal erectors primarily the spinals, the longissimus, and the ilicostalis.