The gastrocnemius and soleus muscles in Japanese
Morimoto, I.
Acta Medica et Biologica 17(2): 125-135
1969
ISSN/ISBN: 0567-7734 PMID: 5349570 Document Number: 5873
From the observations of 67 male and 45 female Japanese cadavers, the following results concerning the gastrocnemius and soleus muscle were obtained: 1. Such a proportion of the length of the tendon of the lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle to the length of the tibia as represented by Loth'S index was less in Japanese than in both Amerecan whites and negroes previously described by G. D. Williams et al. (1930). 2. The tendon of the lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle formed a lesser proportion of the total length of the muscle in Japanese than in both American whites and negroes. 3. The tendon of the medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle in Japanese was, in proportion to the total muscle length, shorter than that in American negroes, but approximately equal to that in American whites. 4. In the majority of Japanese, the medial belly of the gastrocnemius muscle was shorter than the lateral. The condition was caused not by the prolongation of the lateral belly, but by the shortening of the medial. This afforded a fresh proof of the statements of C. R. BARDEEN (1907) and H. FREY (1913) that the lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle was ontogenetically as well as phylogenetically older and more stable than the medial. 5. The most distal points of those portions of the belly of the soleus which extended beyond the gastrocnemius muscle on either side was very low and descended nearly to the level of the ankle joint in Japanese. 6. Neither sexual nor side difference in the proportion of the tendon of either of the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the entire muscle was found in Japanese. 7. The relative length of the tendon of either of the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to its total length was not influenced by the differences in the length of the tibia. The interrelation of the lengths of the muscle parts was regarded as a racial character. 8. The thick calf in Japanese possessed a variety of forms, ranging from the so-called Japanese giant radish shaped appearance to the so-called inverted bottle shaped one. This variety was principally attributed to the variations in those portions of the belly of the soleus muscle which appeared on either side of the gastrocnemius muscle. 9. From the mechanico-functional point of view, the proportionately longer bellies of the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles in Japanese with absolutely short tibiae met the functional demand for the muscles which raised the heel from the ground to walk erect.
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