Use of the Auricles-- The auricles serve as reservoirs to receive the blood -- the right, as it comes dark and foul from its tour of the body; the left, as it filters bright and pure from the oxygenated forest of lungs -- and to furnish it to the ventricles as they need it. This is graphically shown in the chart, the large blue vein, formed by the jugular and subclavian veins, is seen descending downward and emptying into the right auricle; the red pulmonary vein, formed by the coalescing of its numerous branches, conveying rich, pure blood for the lungs and depositing it in the left auricle.corresponding to the lightness of the work they perform, the walls of the auricles are comparatively thin and weak. ____________ Referring to the blood as dark and foul seems a little overly dramatic for this particular description. Similarly it refers to the blue vein, which as we've pointed out in a past article is inaccurate. Other than those accommodation of odd and incorrect items section is in too bad. It's a little overly descriptive in a literary sense but the most part seems to be fairly on-topic. If the author really wanted to see something that was foul or dangerous I wonder what they would've thought of a Def Leppard concert. In a way it's too bad that the authors are not alive today, otherwise I would've sent them a def leppard tour schedule. I'm sure that would give them something to really write about.

Additional Articles from the Book of Medicine:

• The Mosquito
  
  

  The Mosquito.-the mosquito is a common carrier of yellow fever and malaria or “chills and fever” as it is sometime spoken of by the public.  Malaria is caused by a tiny parasite which can only be seen by the microscope in the blood of man and the mosquito.  It lives and multiplies in the blood of an individual suffering from the disease.

  It definitely is interesting to see that they do have a pretty good understanding of what malaria was even though the microscope was still relatively new back at time of publication of this book.  Just a short description of the potential of this little insect that causes people so many problems.  Malaria medicine and running water have helped people get away from these critters.  Many colonial settlers  in Africa tended to locate themselves close to rivers and streams to be close to running water.  This was a formula that worked in colder climates where mosquitos were not as dangerous, but in the tropics this put them in the danger zone for malaria.  They literally settled in the mosquito breeding areas.

  Well and running water deliver waters into the homes around the world from the ground to the faucet helped people move away from the proximity of these danger areas, but there are still many people stuck in the original settled areas.

• 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.

• Lead Palsy
  
  

  Lead Palsy. — under some special circumstances, not at present well understood, extremely minute amounts of lead in water may prove injurious. Thus, for example, Dr. Angus Smith speaks of cases in which lead paralysis, or palsy, was apparently produced by water containing only 1/100TH of a grain of lead to the gallon.

  I’d like to veer off the topic of lead poisoning for a second and just meditate on the fact that until I engaged in reading this section of the book, I had not taken the time to learn the definition of ‘palsy’

  Is is actually an alternative to the word paralysis, and might even be a slang term or abbreviated version of the word.  My own apathetic ignorance as it relates to this word, which to my ears in 2008 even sounds a little politically incorrect, speaks to a decrease in the threat of cerebral palsy even though paralysis (palsy) is still a real problem as a result of injuries.  I might be more in tune with seeking a car insurance quote than fearing for the potential of developing palsy as a result of lead poisoning.