Bones Seen in the Plate -- the bones of the skull observed in this beautiful plate are: the frontal, which forms the four head or front part of the skull; the parietal, constituting a portion of the side and top of the head; the occipital, forming the lower and back part of the skull, and the temporal, which forms the lowest part of the site any part of the base of the cranium. These several bones are joined together by notched seems, after the manner carpenters call "dove-tailing." Shape of the Skull -- the skull, as will be seen, is oval, which adapts it to the conformation of the brain, besides giving a greater resistance to pressure. The stronger and smaller and is in front, where danger is greatest to the brain, whilst the projections before and behind shield its less protected parks. The peculiar conformation and shape of the skull forms a strong shelter for the brain -- an organ so delicate that if not so strongly guarded from injury, and ordinary blow falling upon it would destroy it forever.

I find the description of the seems of the skull rather interesting. I am no doctor nor am I a carpenter, however the analogy of dovetailing strikes me as rather interesting. Upon looking at the picture in short one of the skull, I can distinguish get the impression that dovetailing might be an apt description. That does make me wonder how bones could be grown in a way that emulates dovetailing, however I suspect that it's probably easier to grown organic substance in that manner than it is to join two pieces of wood by force into notched pieces and make them stick or hold in place. Maybe with the advances of nanotechnology and other areas of convergence and biotech we might actually see a day where actual dovetailing is performed with nanotechnology that grows itself into place. Can you imagine installing a tile floor or even a wood floor where instead of using grout or glue or a nail gun you activate a nano tech compound that remembers how to join itself and seal the seems of tile or would together? Don't get me wrong I recognize that this would use a highly advanced technology to perform something that might actually emulate an old fashion way to cover a floor with tile or wood. It's probably more likely by the time that we have got firmer grasp on nanotechnology that we may not have the Woods agreed a floor with and we may not have the desire to use tiles of floor covering opting instead for some more ergonomic substance that's better for our feet and knees. I'm sure in a hundred years my comments will sound quaint and silly just like certain aspects of his books on plain silly to me today. :)

Additional Articles from the Book of Medicine:

• Blood-vessels of the Liver
  
  

  Blood-vessels of the Liver.  –.  The blood-vessels of the liver are the hepatic artery and veins, and the portal vein; the lymphatic vessels are numerous, and the nerves are supplied from the pneumogastric, the phrenic and the hepatic plexus.  The liver, therefore, receives two kinds of blood: the arterial, by means of the hepatic artery, and the venous, from the portal vein, from which the bile is principally formed.  The bile is a dark golden fluid, of extremely bitter taste, of which 3 pounds is secreted daily.  When not used in digestion is stored away in the gall-bladder; a fine view of the location of which we have in this chart,  the action of the bile on food, but not fully understood, is necessary for perfect digestion.

  _____

  Again there is a reference to 3 pounds daily.  So now I’m wondering if the 3 pounds of bile that our bodies are supposedly creating everyday is related to the 3 pounds of food or 3 pounds of liquid that were supposed to be consuming.  Maybe it’s half-and-half, 1 1/2 pounds of food and one half pounds of water generate 3 pounds of bile secreted from our liver.

  I wouldn’t bet your vacation home Orlando on it.  I’m also curious as to whether or not the author actually tasted bile from a liver.  In many ways I’m glad I was not a scientist a hundred or 200 years ago. . . .

• How to destroy the Breeding Places of Mosquitoes-Part 3
  
  

  How to destroy the breeding places of mosquitoes.-Mosquitoes will breathe indoors as well as outside. Any water left in clogged sinks, toilet fixtures, water pitchers in bedrooms, slop jars buckets, tubs, spittoons, aquariums without fish, or in fact any vessel which is capable of holding the few teaspoons of Still water, will afford a breeding Place for the mosquito. Neglect to remove or repair the above structure is only allowing a large crop of mosquitoes to develop and annoy you and your neighbors by bites, disturbing your comfort, preventing rest, sleep and subjecting you to the malaria and yellow fever if you are in a district where these diseases are known to exist.

  So yet again they’ve managed to find a way to include another list of places where mosquitoes might be born or patch. Thanks a lot for that. There’s only one paragraph bonus section and they still haven’t described how to destroy the breeding places.  With these types of vagueness I’d almost expect them to tell me to shut the wood blinds to keep out the mosquitoes too.

• THE FOOT | IT’S MECHANISM AND IT’S WONDERFUL ENDOWMENTS- Arrangement and Uses of the Foot
  
  

  THE FOOT; IT’S MECHANISM AND IT’S WONDERFUL ENDOWMENTS.

  Arrangement and Uses of the Foot. — in this exquisite colored engraving is represented the human foot, the organ by which we stand, walk or run. Look at it carefully, aye, critically, and see if you can duplicate it in the whole range of man’s achievements! The general arrangement of the bony framework of the foot, as seen in the illustration, is strikingly like that of the hand. The graceful arch of the foot, composed by the tarsal and metatarsal bones, is firmly joined together by a thick layer of cartilaginous structure, not only preventing a liability to displacement, but giving it in elasticity, sprightliness and strengthen which could never be attained by single flat bone. In the next colored illustration we have a section of the foot, showing its architectural dignity and perfection. But it’s under or plantar surface are seen stretching from the heel forward towards the toes a number of ligaments, the principal one of which is the plantar ligament, and possesses great strength and elasticity.

  Its odd but for centuries the foot has received less attention that other parts of the body, even though good health and well being are directly related to the foot.  People are more likely to under go a colon cleanse procedure than take simple steps to care for their feet and keep them health.