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Credit
Four female acrobats. Public Domain Mark. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Four female acrobats.
- Date:
- 1934
- Videos
- Online
About this work
Description
Shows a variety of acrobatic movements to demonstrate the action of muscles, vertebral column, hip and shoulder joints in living subjects. Four female acrobats perform a variety of movements while interspersed radiograms show the spine in various positions. 5 segments.
Publication/Creation
England, 1934.
Physical description
1 encoded moving image (27 min.) : silent, black and white
Contributors
Duration
00:27:00
Copyright note
Copyright previously held by British Medical Association and assigned to Wellcome in 2005
Terms of use
Unrestricted
Public Domain Mark
Contents
Segment 1 A woman in a sequinned bikini walks towards and away from the camera with bare feet and in a low-heeled shoe. The intertitles note that the gaits are different. Examples of a poor and a good high kick are shown. A woman dances on one leg to show the action of the leg muscles. A woman twists around with her feet pointing forward to show the rotation of the spine. An x-ray of a straight spine is shown. Time start: 00:00:00:00 Time end: 00:05:13:11 Length: 00:05:13:11
Segment 2 An x-ray of a twisted spine is shown. A woman performs a back bend, and an x-ray of this position is also shown. Other types of back bend are shown. Time start: 00:05:13:11 Time end: 00:10:57:06 Length: 00:05:43:20
Segment 3 An x-ray of a normal spine is shown, followed by x-rays of different types of back bend. A woman twists herself into a crab-like acrobatic position, and an x-ray is shown. The intertitles describe the movements of the muscles during these unusual positions. Time start: 00:10:57:06 Time end: 00:16:25:10 Length: 00:05:28:04
Segment 4 An x-ray of another type of back bend is shown. A woman sits on the floor and holds the soles of her feet with her legs outstretched. The intertitles analyse the muscle movements required. A lady touches her toes, and an x-ray is shown. A woman performs different types of high kick; these are shown in slow motion. X-rays of the high kick in various phases are shown. An x-ray of the pelvis area is shown. X-rays of a male vertebral column from different angles are shown together. A woman is shown walking with and without heels, and performing a 'remarkable back bend contortion'. Time start: 00:16:25:10 Time end: 00:21:37:19 Length: 00:05:12:09
Segment 5 An x-ray of one of the female acrobat's spine is shown. The intertitles point out interesting aspects. A woman performs various acrobatic contortions, with x-rays of the positions shown and commented on. Time start: 00:21:37:19 Time end: 00:27:00:05 Length: 00:05:22:11
Creator/production credits
By Robert Douglas Lockhart, Professor of Anatomy, University of Birmingham. Radiographs by J.F. Brailsford and A.C. Fowler.