A pace is the length of a step in walking or marching. It is reckoned from the heel of one foot to the heel of the other and was formerly sometimes used as a unit in measuring distances. Ordinarily the pace was estimated at two and one half linear feet; but in measuring distances be stepping, the pace was extended to three feet or to three and three tenths feet (one fifth of a rod). The regulation marching pace in the English and United States armies was thirty inches for quick time, and thirty-six inches for double time. The Roman pace (passus) was from the heel of one foot to the heel of the same foot when it next touched the ground, being five Roman feet. In 1888, the pace was described as 5 feet in length.
In Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greek hero. He is the chief character in Homer's Iliad. His father was Peleus, ruler of Phthia in Thessaly, his mother the sea-goddess Thetis. When only six years of age he was able to overcome lions and bears. His guardian, Cheiron the Centaur, having declared that Troy could not be taken without his aid, his mother, fearing for his safety, disguised him as a girl, and introduced him among the daughters of Lycomedes of Scyros. Her desire for his safety made her also try to make him invulnerable when a child by anointing him with ambrosia, and again by dipping him in the river Styx, from which he came out proof against wounds, all but the heel, by which she held him.
His place of concealment was discovered by Odysseus (Ulysses), and he promised his assistance to the Greeks against Troy. Accompanied by his close friend, Patroclus, he joined the expedition with a body of followers (Myrmidons) in fifty ships, and occupied nine years in raids upon the towns neighbouring to Troy, after which the siege proper commenced. On being deprived of his prize, the maiden Briseis, by Agamemnon, he refused to take any further part in the war, and
disaster attended the Greeks.
Patroclus now persuaded Achilles to allow him to lead the Myrmidons to battle dressed in his armour, and he having been slain by Hector, Achilles vowed revenge on the Trojans, and forgot his anger against the Greeks. He attacked the Trojans and drove them back to their walls, slaying them in great numbers, chased Hector, who fled before him three times round the walls of Troy, slew him, and dragged his body at his chariot-wheels, but afterwards gave it up to Priam, who came in person to beg for it. He then performed the funeral rites of Patroclus, with which the Iliad closes. He was killed in a battle at the Scasan Gate of Troy by an arrow from the bow of Paris which struck his vulnerable heel. In discussions on the origin of the Homeric poems the term Achilleid is often applied to those books (i. viii. and xi.-xxii.) of the Iliad in which Achilles is prominent, and which some suppose to have formed the original nucleus of the poem. Research Achilles
In Greek mythology, Paris was a prince of Troy whose abduction of Helen, wife of King Menelaus of Sparta, caused the Trojan War. Helen was promised to him by the goddess Aphrodite as a bribe, in his judgment between her beauty and that of two other goddesses, Hera and Athena. Paris killed the Greek hero Achilles by shooting an arrow into his heel, but was himself killed by Philoctetes before the capture of Troy.
The Babinski reflex, named after the French neurologist Josef Babinski, is produced by firmly stroking the lateral border of the sole of the foot. This action causes the dorsiflexion of the big toe and the fanning of the other toes. The reflex is normal in newborns. If it exists in children or adults, it may indicate neurological damage, usually a lesion in the pyramidal tract. An opposite reflex, the plantar reflex, is a superficial reflex that occurs in older children and adults. It is easily evaluated. Using a moderately sharp object, the lateral border of the sole of the foot is stroked, starting at the heel and continuing to the ball of the foot, and then proceeding across the ball of the foot toward the big toe. This stimulus should cause all five toes to bend downward. Research Babinski Reflex
Each foot is made up of twenty-six bones which form the ankle, top and bottom of the foot, and toes. These bones are articularly specialized, allowing a wide range of flexibility, while being able to withstand the incredible amounts of stress placed upon them. It is estimated that each stride of an adult places 900 pounds per square inch on the bottom of the foot. Seven of these bones form the compact arrangement of the ankle, or tarsus, and the heel. These tarsal bones include the navicular, the three cuneiform, the cuboid, the talus, and the calcaneus bones.
These tarsal bones are arranged generally in two rows, the proximal and distal. The distal tarsals articulate with the five metatarsals. The long metatarsals form the broad, long structure of the foot, as seen in the superior view. These, in turn, articulate with the proximal phalanges. The proximal phalanges join with the middle phalanges, which articulate with the end sections of the toes, called distalphalanges. The large toe is the exception, as it lacks a middle phalanx. Ligaments connect the bones of the foot together and allow the muscles of the calf to remotely influence these bones. Research Bones of the Foot
In human anatomy, the calcaneum or calcaneus bone, is the largest and strongest of the tarsal bones. It projects backwards beyond the bones of the leg to provide a lever for the muscles of the calf, and forms the lower, outer part of the ankle and extends downward to form the heel. It is responsible for bearing much of the immediate stress placed upon the foot during walking. Research Calcaneum
The gastrocnemius muscle extends the length of the leg from the knee joint to the ankle joint. It consists of a lateral head (caput laterale), a medial head (caput mediale), and their single tendon of insertion. Each head is a thick muscular column, separated from the other by the back of the knee. As they descend, they come together. The medial head is larger and originates from the medial condyle of the femur. It wraps around the leg more towards the front than does the lateral head. The lateral head originates from the lateral condyle of the femur. The muscular heads end at or slightly above the middle of the leg, where they attach to their tendon. The two heads form the bulging 'belly' of the calf of the leg. Their tendon descends and fuses with the tendon of the soleus, which lies just beneath it, forming the Achillestendon, which inserts in the calcaneus. The gastrocnemius muscle is innervated by the tibial nerve and supplied by the tibial artery. This muscle propels the body when walking, running, or jumping. It raises the heel, which lifts the body. It also assists, though minimally, in flexing the knee joint. Research Gastrocnemius
The soleus is a thick muscle located on the back of the lower leg. It originates from the upper part of the fibula and the tendonous arch connecting the head of the fibula to the tibia. The muscle is thickest at its mid-section where its flattened form curves around the deep flexormuscles of the foot and toes. The muscle tapers low, just above the ankle, and its tendon continues on inserting in the middle part of the calcaneum. The tendon of the soleus, combined with the gastrocnemius, is best known as the achillis tendon. The soleus is innervated by the tibial nerve and supplied by the tibial artery. This muscle is used to point the foot or raise the heel, which lifts the body. Its continuous contraction of the soleus prevents the body from falling forward when standing. Research Soleus
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Achilles
