MUSCULAR WORK AND POWER
This chapter presents a simple analysis of the various ways in which human and animal muscle have been used. These methods are illustrated by pre-industrial images, where this is possible, but they are not organised into a strict chronological order because the techniques arc often as old as man himself and it seems preferable simply to illustrate the great variety of ways in which human and animal muscle have been used.
It need hardly be said that the power of his own muscle was the first source of energy available to man and throughout history illustrations showing men exerting themselves arc not too difficult to find. An elementary analysis of the way in which muscular power is applied is to consider that it is either through pushing, pulling, striking, rotating, lifting, or climbing and that these actions may be undertaken either stationary or when moving relative to the earth, see Table 4.1.
Table 4.1 Modes of manual work and typical devices.