by Elsie Lincoln Benedict
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eople in whom the muscular system is proportionately larger and more highly developed than any of their other systems are Musculars. This system consists of the muscles of the organism.
¶ The muscle-system of the human body is simply a co-ordinated, organized arrangement of layers of lean meat, of which every individual has a complete set.
An individual's muscles may be small, flabby, deficient in strength or so thin as to be almost imperceptible but they are always there?elementary in the infant, full grown in the adult and remnants in the aged. But they are so smoothly fitted together, so closely knitted and usually so well covered that we seldom realize their complexity or importance.
In the pure Muscular type his muscles are firm and large. Such muscles can not be disguised but seem to stand out all over him.
¶ Without them we would be helpless masses of fat and bone; we could not blink an eye nor lift a finger. Yet we are so accustomed to them that we rarely think of them and seldom give them credit for what they do.
Without their wonder-work to adjust the eyes we could not see; without their power the heart would cease to beat. We can not smile, sob, speak nor sing without using them. We would have no pianists, violinists, dancers, aviators, inventors or workers of any kind without them.
Everything we put together?from hooks and eyes to skyscrapers?is planned by our brains but depends for its materialization upon the muscles of the human body.
¶ Look at any individual and you will note one of these three conditions: that his bones seem to be covered just by skin and sinews (which means that he belongs to the fourth type) or thickly padded with fat (in which case he is largely of the first type) or well upholstered with firm meat.
In the latter case he is largely Muscular, no matter what other types may be present in his makeup.
In a short time you will be able to tell, at a glance, whether the padding on an individual is mostly fat or mostly muscle, because fat is always round and soft while muscle is firm and definite.
¶ A general solidity of structure, as distinguished from the softness of the Alimentive and the resilience of the Thoracic, characterizes the Muscular. (See Chart 5)
Poke your finger into a fat man's hand and though it makes a dent that dent puffs back quickly. Do the same to the Muscular and you will find a firmness and toughness of fiber that resists but stays there longer once the dent is made.
¶ This little illustration is typical of the differences between these two natures throughout their entirety. Just as the fat man's face gives to your touch, he will give in to you more easily than any other type; but he will go back to the same place sooner and more smoothly when your pressure is removed.
The Muscular does not mold so easily, is less suggestible, is less tractable than the Alimentive or Thoracic but is less likely to revert afterwards.
