The Intestines.  -- the next chart shows us the manner in which the intestines are arranged in the abdominal cavity.  The entire intestinal can now is about 30 feet in length, and is divided into two portions -- the small intestines, and the large intestines; these again are each subdivided into three different portions.  Of the large intestines, the transfers portion is laid open, showing the internal arrangements.  A section of the bladder is even on this chart.

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I really don't have any clue what they're talking about when they refer to the three portions subdividing both the large and small intestines.  Is nothing in the chart that mentions this subdivision and I've never heard of anything like that before in regards to the intestines.  This could be my lame and ignorance or it could be some odd notion espoused in this book.  They also mention that the link to the intestines is approximately 30 feet.  I seem to recall from my grade school education 25 years ago, that the length was 26 feet for the small intestine and six to 7 feet for the large intestine or was that 3 feet for the large intestine?

My fourth-grade education combined with my loss of memory over 25 years may be getting the best of me.  Maybe I spent too much time at the drive-in watching movies freezing my toes off as I laid on top of the roof of our van, clinging to a van rack.  I'm sure that would seem extremely strange to the writers of this book and possibly even to my readers is not been to a drive-in before during the fall.

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.

• Pleura of the Lungs – Size/ shape/ weight of lungs
  
  

  Pleura of the Lungs. –in this chart we see also the pleura or the investing membrane of the lungs, and right below it the diaphragm or midriff.Two Distinct Lungs. –although the lungs are two in number, as far as their structure is concerned, and are perfectly distinct from each other, having, as we observe in the chart underneath this one, the heart and blood-vessels between them, yet as regards their functions they may be considered the same, since they received their blood from a single vessel, the pulmonary artery, and the air by one canal, the trachea or wind-pipe, and act in common with each other.

  Size and Shape of Lungs. –as will be observed, the lungs are not quite the same size or shape; the right lung, although somewhat shorter and thicker than the left, is the larger and stronger, being divided into three lobe; wills to the left is the smaller and weaker, divided into two lobes only, and hence more frequently subject to disease.

  Weight And Shape of Lungs. –the weight of the lungs varies very much; but in general they average about forty-two ounces in the male;thirty-six in the female; the right lung been about 2 ounces heavier than the left. Each lung is comical in shape, with a broad concave base resting on the convex surface of the midriff, the apex directed upward and extending into the root of the neck about 1 inch above the level of the first rib.

  ______________
  This section sounds much more scientific than the opening statement, it does have quite a few excessive examples of commas and even a few semicolons, but it doesn’t mention corsets, and it seems to stick to the facts or leased a description of the lungs in this particular case.

  A student studying medicine might learn something about the lungs from the section, although I suppose it probably was a practical thing to learn hundred years ago that corsets cause and strictures in the lungs. In fact it might have even been common knowledge although there may have been some sort of taboo against discussing such things and maybe it was only known by certain people. Therefore it might’ve been very practical to call that a medical book in case male readers or male doctors were somehow ignorant of the problems caused by corsets.

• Evaporation
  
  

  These days our drinking water is so contaminated with drugs, antibiotics, chemical wastes and supplements of every different size and color that you never know if you might be getting a cocktail of Amoxycillin or Fenphedra when you take a sip.

  Evaporation.-Our supplies of drinking water are, of course, derived originally entirely from the rainfall. We need not consider now how the water found its way into the air. Without entering into the details of the process of evaporation, all that the present object requires is, that we clearly recognize the fact that spring, fountain, river and lake are all alike fed from the clouds which float over our heads and send their rain upon the just and upon the unjust. Hence, then, man is wholly dependent for his supply of this vital element upon the rain which comes down from heaven. He may dwell upon the most arid plains, but he drinks from the stream which flows beside or underneath his feet—which stream is itself fed by floods that fell perhaps a thousand miles away—and what-ever mystery attaches to subterranean waters, we may be sure that, by a long enough circuit, we can trace every drop back to the clouds.