The Spinal Column. -- The spinal column, the lumbar portion of which is here seeing, consists of twenty-four bones, the which are placed pads of cartilage. Such is the elasticity of these cushions of cartilage, that, though they become condensed to the day, making a shorter in the evening then in the morning, they resume their normal thickness while you're lying in bed at night. The perfection in the architecture of the spine surpasses belief; its various uses seem a bundle of contradictions.This section starts to sound more like the book we are familiar with. There are several excessive uses of the coma and once again we start to encounter the authors love of the human body in a way that is less than scientific. I suppose a hundred years ago there may have been a little bit more passion for science than there is today, or maybe my own perception in this regards as biased. I seem to recall an anthropology professor back in college that was possibly as passionate about his topic is the author is about this topic.
Additional Articles from the Book of Medicine:
- The Complete Organs and Structures
The Complete Organs and Structures — the muscles which give form and shape to the body would be powerless and strands of movement and devoid of the bones of the skeleton. Thus we see that every organ and structure was formed with direct reference to the accomplishment of a certain definite object. Hence, the bones form framework, to protect the delicate organs of mind, respiration, circulation, digestion and excretion, to serve as levers on which the muscles may act to produce motion, and to preserve the form and shape of the body; the muscles, such as we observe in this plate, give form, shape and symmetrical proportions to the body, and produce its varied motions; by means of the brain we think, feel and act; the nerves of the eye take cognizance of external objects, and convey their impressions to the brain; the auditory nerve distinguishes sounds; the olfactory nerve identifies and separates the different odors brought into contact with it, and sentient nerves of the skin are fully impressed with the touch of external objects, carry the impression of their character and size to the brain, and the motor nerves carry the commands of the will to the muscular system, at the behests of the mind may be obeyed and carried out; the heart receives that in pure blood from all parts of the body, and sends it to the lungs to be purified, then receives it back again and forces it with enormous power even unto the most remote and my new part of the system; arteries and veins are made for the express purpose of conveying the “pabulum of life” from the heart, and to carry vitiated and poisonous fluid to the heart; the lungs throw off the carbonic acid in the venous fluid and replace it by oxygen; the stomach, by and with the aid of the salivary, biliary, pancreatic and intestinal juices, digest the food and transforms it into blood; the kidneys are designed as filters, to aid in the purification of the blood; thus we observe that the various tissues and organs of the body at each their own special use in the human economy, and their exact and definite function to perform; and as a result of the sum total of the proper required performance of all these different functions, we have not only harmony and health, but happiness of mind, soul and body as well.
In case you were counting there are exactly 3 periods in this diatribe. That last sentence is a doozy and probably one of the longest run-on sentences I’ve ever seen in print. It goes on and on and on! The grammar in this section is so distracting that it’s almost impossible to find other interesting aspects about this section.
I will note that I was somewhat surprised to see Dragon Naturally Speaking correctly translate “pabulum of life.”
This is a concept I believe that dates back to the era of the Royal Society. If I understand it correctly the pabulum of life refers to that type of substance or matter that can generate heat or energy through digestion. Ergo if you eat a cheeseburger, cheeseburger is the pabulum of life because it creates energy and heat in your bodily system so to say. Here is an excerpt quoted from Theory of the Earth Part 4 that provides the phrase in context,
IT is the nature of animal life to be ultimately supported from matter of vegetable production. Inflammable matter may be considered as the pabulum of life. This is prepared in the bodies of living plants, particularly in their leaves exposed to the sun and light. This inflammable matter, on the contrary, is consumed in animal bodies, where it produces heat or light, or both. Therefore, however animal matter, or the pabulum of life, may circulate through a series of digesting powers, it is constantly impaired or diminishing in the course of this oeconomy, and, without the productive power of plants, it would finally be extinguished.
The inclusion of this phrase leads me to hypothesize (after reading this book too much into my words become a little heavier than normal) that this book which I believe a one-time event published in London probably included writers if not editors that were well-versed and the discussions and debates of the day from the Royal Society. As this book was published in 1916, it’s also very likely that the Royal Society studies had become extremely dogmatic and in some ways were probably factionalized amongst the various philosophers and budding scientists of the day.
- Avoiding Cholera
Avoiding Cholera. — a first and highly important warning, therefore, which these and many other similar occurrences give us is never to drink any water which, by any possibility, could have become contaminated with the smallest particle discharge from the bowels of a person suffering from cholera or choleraic diarrhea.
This ending on Cholera, is slightly confusing at first as the 100 year old grammar is slightly odd. However, the general lesson seems to be coming across. Its a lesson talking about germs essentially, Cholera specifically. But the author is painting a picture for the lay person that small particles can contaminate water and make everyone sick.
- Powers of the Hand – Skill of the hand
Powers of the Hand. – and how very good and useful or its endowments! How wondrously adapted to the uses to which it is daily applied! It’s elegance of outline, delicacy of mold and beauty of color has ever made it the attractive study of the artist; whilst its elasticity, flexibility and strength, combined with its delicate and exquisite mobility, and perfect adaptation as an organ of pretension, have led many philosophers to attribute man’s high and graceful spear he worked he even more to the hand them to the mine. Glowing thoughts are penned up on the pages of history by means of the hand; it wheels the artist pencil and brush, and makes the bare canvas and attractive and valuable work of art; how it strikes the keyboard of the piano with so delicate a touch that low, sweet, plaintive strains of music are brought forth; now the force of the blow is much greater and firmer, and louder and louder and more thrilling musical strains.
Skill of the Hand. – the farmers toil, a housewife status, the dressmakers deafness, the mechanics skill, are all accomplished by the human hand. How constantly does the lives from an aids us in expressing our feelings. It is the orator’s chief aide and giving expression to his lofty strains of eloquence, or emphasizing his pathetic appeals.
At this point, for this session I am going to sign off. The platitudes have finally gotten to me but don’t fear. We’ll be back again and you can continue to read my droll commentary like subtitling on a bad Sundance Film Festival Marathon in Italian.