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 Thorax
  
  

  The Thorax.  — The thorax derives its name from the Greek word thoreo, and signifies “I leap,” because the heart leaps in it.  It is covered on the front part by large muscles; the pectoralis major, or large muscle of the breast, is observed on the left side of the chest, Wilson on the right it is removed and exposes the pectoralis minor, or small muscle of the breast.  The dovetailed muscle observed on each side is the Seratus Magnus, and is employed in expanding and contracting the chest in the act of breathing.  The muscles of the chest walls, in a deep inspiration, exert a force equal to lifting a weight of 750 pounds.

  I do not know Greek but I found it interesting to learn that little bit of Greek above about the thorax.  It’s a very descriptive word actually and I suspect if I understand it correctly preferring to the movement of the Adam’s apple?  I would use the word Adam’s apple is a form of layman term, and I’m somewhat surprised that they didn’t use a layman term in their description as the audience for this book is supposed to be house wives and mothers.

• Pulmonary Veins
  
  

  Pulmonary Veins. – From this net-work of arteries and air sells the radicals of the pulmonary veins arise, and, coalescing into larger and larger branches, at length accompany the arteries and return the blood to the left auricle of the heart in a purified condition. The pulmonary arteries and veins differ from the same vessels in the other parts of the body, since the former conveys the innocent blood, and the latter arterial blood.

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  I stopped on this short paragraph as I approach some larger sections. This segment again makes a reference to the word “net-work” in a style that is now out dated. The next section takes us into Breathing and then lung capacity.

• Mineral Springs
  
  

  Mineral Springs. — mineral springs, notwithstanding they are much used for drinking, are properly medicinal agents. They comprise all those waters which contain sufficient quantities of dissolved matters, such for example, as iron or sulfur, as to produce thereby a positive effect upon the systems of persons for taking of them. The mineral springs of this country are frequently valuable remedial agents and some chronic diseases.

   

  In this section they do kind of tell you something about the category and that this type of water has minerals or other matter that is dissolved in the water. It doesn’t happen to mention how those minerals may have a come to be there, such as those that are mingled with water by the Earth itself as opposed to water that is polluted by a person. In some regards I believe the author has at this point, deemed the actual term of mineral springs, to be a term that would be widely recognized by people and the author thereby hopes that the categorization of this type of water will take place in the readers mind such that the author or editor does not actually have to spell out why something is in a category at all. It’s a little backwards but almost like a person might expect that a living creature wearing baby clothes should be a baby as opposed to a dog dressed up in baby clothes. The assumption is that the object associated with something that is commonly known should lead the reader to accept categorization automatically. Again this is not terribly scientific and creates the imperative for an assumption, which might lead us to assume, that the author has not learned the lesson of making an ass out of you and me.