DISEASES FROM MINERAL IMPURITIES IN WATER.

Purifying Ingredients.-since all rivers, spring- and well-waters contain a certain amount of dissolved matters, taken up from the soil through and over which they pass, it becomes a very important consideration to determine what these ingredients are in any particular sample of water, and also the kind and degree of such impurity which will not prove injurious to health. Dr. Letheby, from investigations made in 65 English and Scotch towns, arrived at the conclusion that from 5 to 20 grains to the gallon of the compounds of line and magnesia are necessary to render drinking water in the highest degree wholesome.

It does point I want to remark on something that is seen within the last two or three sections. The book is making references to several different doctors, apparently doctors from England, and the book doesn't necessarily mention the doctors first names. It doesn't mention where the doctors work, what they're employed at or why they have the credentials to be referenced in this particular book. I'm assuming that since this is a medical book and these are doctors that these doctors have medical degrees.  That said, for all I know these could be philosophers, or professors of natural philosophy, for paella pan handlers for all I know.

Regardless, I do find it interesting, and it do appreciate the way that we source insight articles and texts and people as sources today. Having gone through law school, I never thought I would say those words before. :-)

Additional Articles from the Book of Medicine:

• Book of Medicine Goes to Vegas for Blogworld
  
  

  This week I am in Las Vegas for the Blogworld convention.  I have not actually packed up the book of medicine with me.  It is 100 years old and very very large and does not travel well (it gets plane sick).

  I am meeting a number of great bloggers and companies already.  I am looking for other medical and health bloggers.  The conference officially starts in about 3 hours, and I have met a couple already.

  I’m getting ready to expand out the Book of Medicine as a site and part of that will be driven by the next chapter segments in the History of Medicine.  The book was comprehensive in its day covering all areas of health from surgery and bone setting to colds and herbs and even physical fitness.  Back then health insurance and life insurance did not exist (correction term insurance and whole life didn’t exist, but you could get insurance from several companies, and if you paid you could get insurance on a person, but there was not a great deal of actuarial data behind it.  It was more like the health syrum’s of the same time.  Lots of promises, but no real science nor results.)

  So if you are a health, medicine, alternative medicine blogger and you are out here at blogworld feel free to drop me a comment.  I’d be happy to meet up with you and make some connections.

• Difficulty of Obviating Lead Poisoning
  
  

  Difficulty of Obviating Lead Poisoning. — attempts have been made to obviate the danger of water contamination from lead pipes in various ways, but not as yet with complete success. In some instances the pipes have been lined with other metals, such as tin or zinc; but, at least in some instances, a galvanic action has thus been set up, which corroded the conduits with great rapidity, and probably lead, therefore, still more dangerous pollution of the water supply. Coating the pipes on the inside with coal tar, bituminous varnish, solution of gutta-percha and the India rubber, have also been experimented with, as yet with but partial success.

  Well those prescriptions sound about as useful as most prescriptions for acne treatments today.  Again, I would remind everyone that the quote above is from a 100 year old medical book and the preventative steps offered really only offer historical perspective. 

• Beauty and Consistency of the Brain
  
  

  Beauty of the Brain Views — every view of the human brain we have seen in this series of magnificent and unparalleled anatomical plates has inspired our admiration and held us spellbound and utter astonishment in amazement at the limitless attributes, the diversified powers, and the variety of functions this wondrous and mysterious organ is called upon to perform in the hourly transaction and business pursuits of daily human life. And yet, notwithstanding the marvelous properties of this elaborate organ, it is the least solid and most unsubstantial looking body of the human casket.

  Consistency of the Brain – it consists of eighty per cent. Of water, seven per cent. of albumen, some phosphorized fat and some other minor substances. Such is the composition of the mighty and powerful organ which rules the world. Whilst the brain is the seat of sensation, yet it can be cut, burned or electrified without causing pain in itself. Strange, passing strange, or the proprieties and powers of the brain!

  These two segments both represents a very strange and slightly ignorant view of the brain. The first section is entirely devoted to talking about the mysteries and relative beauties of the organ known as the brain. On occasion in modern times a professor might leap upon a soap box and go off on a rant or something describing a topic that they are passionate about in the way described above. There’s something about the tone and the use of language that goes far beyond that and makes this language seems some what similar to language we might expect to find in a be styled movie about the past. However this book evidences the fact that such language did exist and in fact was put into print in a medical textbook.

  The second section offers up something that I found some was a pricing. It’s not so much the language but the way the word percent is spelled. Above you will find a word percent spelled with an extra space in between the words per and the words cent with a period following the word cent. I had never considered the possibility that the two words might have been separated a hundred years ago. Now that I’m studying the anatomy of those particular words it strikes me that they do make some logical sense apart. The percentage is a fraction of a whole it can also be viewed as a ratio and so if a whole is made up of one half substance and one half no substance, it could be expressed as one part substance per two parts combined substance and no substance. That thought makes absolutely no sense as I read back on it, but it’s the best I can do to try and piece together those words may be my beautiful brain isn’t working quite up to par this evening!