Cerebrum and Cerebellum - We observed that the cerebrum, the seat of mind and volition, is much larger than the cerebellum or little brain; a biz though that was not enough area for the evolution of the mind, we see this part of the brain most curiously wrinkled and folded into various sized convolutions, thus increasing the mental service. The more numerous these convolutions are, the higher and more noble and mental faculties and intellectual powers become. The hemisphere of the brain, here shown, is seen to be divided into three lobes, the frontal, middle and posterior. The Corpus Callosum, or the great commissioner of the brain, is most faithfully represented, and immediately below is seen the Fornix. The peculiar appearance of the cerebellum or little brain presents a tree-like resemblance, once it is called arbor vitae, or the tree of life.This section has several interesting segment Senate that stood out to me as I read them. Plus it had a third that stood out to my wife. My wife wondered if the word convolutions meant the same thing as convulsions. "Is that even a word? Are they spelled the same she asked?" They are both words and both different words at that. For entertainment purposes I will provide you with my assumed definition even though I could be wrong. Maybe someone will take the light 90 years from now in interpreting my definition or perceived definition of these words. To me a convolutions is something that represents a folding or a complex structure such as the folds of the brain. Where as, in a a convulsion is a physical act as someone made a fall into when they are suffering from epilepsy or choking or some act of involuntary muscle control. I also found it somewhat entertaining to hear the author describes a noble mental faculties and references to the higher brain. This book was written before World War I and World War II where was publicly documented and historically written down for the record that the human brain has the capability to perform things that are far less than noble and definitely not intrinsic to our own thought processes. I suspect there's also certain nonsecular references to the concept that a person is of a higher level of importance in the grand scheme of things. The connotations of this verbiage have much potential but its true intent is probably only something that we will build a speculate on going even further into the future.
Additional Articles from the Book of Medicine:
- Diet Profiles with MyFitnessPal
As I go through the book of medicine, I’ve been thinking more and more about my health. I am not terribly unhealthy nor am I very overweight, however my diet is definitely not terrific.
I thought I would get some sort of baseline assessment of what my dietary goals should be as it relates to my weight. I weigh about 173 pounds and I’m 6 foot one. I’ve recently put on about 10 pounds and I’d like to get down to an ideal weight of about 160, a very tone 160.
I’m not trying to be a bodybuilder, but I don’t desire any excess fat either. I do work in front of a computer for many hours at a time and that lends itself to putting on a little weight around my belly. I do go jogging about four times a week for a couple miles.
I went over to MyFitnessPal.com so I could establish a dietary profile. It only took about 60 seconds to complete this profile and get a very baseline assessment of what I might need to do.
I wouldn’t have to make too many adjustments, but I would need to decrease my calories just a bit. This site all so offers a calorie counter, which I would need as I’m not very good at documenting these types of things on paper nor even understanding what it is I’m documenting.
My wife is a lifetime member of Weight Watchers, but that just doesn’t work for me.
The next step of courses to keep a diet journal or a food diary depending on how you want to look at it. That would definitely not be a problem for me as I journal just about everything that I do.
I haven’t been terribly concerned about calories since I was in the military. Back then we had to worry about ensuring that we consume enough calories each day when we were in the field.That was about consuming lots of calories as opposed to today where I’m looking to consume the right amount of calories for a more sedentary lifestyle, and if I can eat healthier along the way, then even better.
- Improving Your Health through Yoga – A Great Introductory DVD
Years ago when I was a teenager, I started practicing Yoga. Back then it was just something to do to improve my breathing and increase my flexibility for karate. After leaving high school I joined the military and the Yoga training, flexibility and especially the breathing paid off significantly. It helped me with physical training and it also helped me to stay focused mentally.
After leaving the military, I got caught up in a more normal routine and the necessity of practicing Yoga on a regular basis slowly slipped from my priorities.
Since then I have tried Tai Chi and several other forms of exercise, meditation and stretching, but none have worked as well for me as Yoga. I also do not do well in group classes. Following a Yoga instructor in a class just does not fit in with my routine or lifestyle.
I recently came across a great re-introduction into Yoga with a yoga dvd from RealBodyWork.com. There are several things about the Vinyasa flow yoga dvd that make it very good not only for beginners, but also for people that are experienced with Yoga.- It provides an excellent series of in depth explanations of poses and stances. When I formerly practiced Yoga, I sometimes got the stances correct and sometimes I was not quite sure. Some stances had alternative positions as well. I could not always tell if I was doing the routine correctly or if I was possibly engaging in an alternative movement that might do more harm than good. As I walked through the Gentle Vinyasa Flow dvd it has a video demonstration and tutorial on each of the positions, so you can not only find the positions that are best for you, but know that you are doing them correctly enough to benefit from them.
- The DVD is not just one program or yoga sessions, but includes 6 routines that range from about 25 minutes to almost an hour each.
- The DVD includes over 23 poses and a great deal of variability. I generally prefer a lot of variability in all of my exercise routines. If the routine starts to feel ‘routine’ then I get bored and I’m more likely to fall out of practice.
Now, as we get further into the exploration of the Book of Medicine, you will find something rather amazing. This type of exercise was by no means foreign to Western medicine 100 years ago. In fact it is described within the book itself with pictorial guides on practicing older forms of yoga and martial arts as well.
- Why is it that Disease Spreads?
Why is it that disease spreads?-It has been found by scientists that certain definitive living bodies (germs) are the cause of certain diseases, such as tuberculosis, smallpox, typhoid fever, diphtheria, etc.; and other diseases must be caused by other undiscovered bodies, which will some day be known. These minute living bodies are active and give off poisonous material which destroys the tissues, organs, etc. of the body. When a person is ill, these germs are being continually thrown off in the waste materials of the body, in the spittle, bowel movements, sweat, saliva, urine, et cetera. If these products of disease are allowed to remain in a vessel, the carpets, floor, soil, etc., they dry and in the form of dust are blown about in here at the house, street or country road. If they come in contact with clothing or household furniture, they can be carried. Should a nurse or attendant upon a case be careless about disinfecting the hands are closing during or after the management of a contagious disease, he or she can become a common carrier by touching food, dishes, clothing, etc., used by other members of the family.
Water is a common carrier of disease, particularly typhoid fever, cholera, etc. Therefore to prevent the spread of disease every farmer, dairy man, occupant of a dwelling, factory, citizens of villages, cities and states, should see that they have a clean water supply free from germs and not contaminated by dirty water or refuse from a toilet, a pen, stable, etc.., which might contain germs carry from a patient or animal suffering from any of the contagious disease is. One case of typhoid fever along the edge of a mountain stream, carelessly managed, thus permitting bowel movements to be thrown into or washed into the stream by rain, pelting snow, etc., could cause an epidemic in every village which received its water supply from that stream or the reverence which it empty.
Milk can be a common carrier of disease, such as tuberculosis, typhoid fever, scarlet fever, measles, diphtheria, etc. Most states however, have protected the supply of milk by the enactment of laws covering the inspection of cattle, the erection of well lighted, clean and ventilated dairies, boiling and sterilization of all utensils used in its handling, even the wearing of sterile grounds by the milkers and attendants, cleansing of the cows utters before and after milking incurring and brushing the cattle and covering them with light blanket. Milk should be kept it even temperatures after being placed in sterile can prevent the formation of germs which will develop even in transit to the consumer in the country or by train or in the milk bottles prior to delivery. Railroads are compelled in some states, and should be in all states, to furnish refrigerator cans with highs and the dealers in the city should particularly during the warm weather, have a refrigerator or eyes in the delivery wagons to maintain an even temperature for all milk delivered.
There are some interesting concepts within the section some of these actually seem somewhat practical and you can get a sense of the evolution of thought and care that was starting to go into the maintenance of water supplies and especially the concept of moving milk producing milk and transmitting or delivering it logistically across long distances as people lived more in cities and away from the country away from the source of the actual cattle delivering the milk.
Its also somewhat surprising that as early as one hundred years ago they were concerned with milkers wearing sterile clothing. I have a mental image in my head of kids going out to milk the cow each morning for milk and parents that had little regard for the sterility of children’s clothes as long as they did not spoil their Sunday clothes.
