Lead Poison in Water. -- these are probably very common throughout our whole country, and, contrary to what at first sight might be imagined, it is likely that led much more frequently and seriously affects the health of people inhabiting small villages and country houses, and that of residence in cities, notwithstanding the latter constantly use water which is brought into their homes through long lines of lead service pipes. The explanation of this seeming paradox is that river water, which is that usually supplied citizens, contains in almost all cases a small amount of the sulfate of lime, sulfate of Magnesia, or some other compound of sulfuric acid, which, when brought in contact with the lead pipes, is decomposed, and the resulting sulfate of lead which is formed as the happy faculty of clinging to the inside of the pipes when it is produced, and this constituting an insoluble lining, which not only protects the tube from further corrosion, but also, what is of far greater importance from a sanitary point of view, prevents any further contamination of drinking water which flows through the conduit.

While people did not fully understand lead poisoning 100 years ago, its obvious that they were starting to learn rapidly and preparing to move into a world where this problem was taken seriously, preventative measures were taken and diagnosis for lead poisoning could be performed.  It was not a Beautifeel world yet but it was taking a step closer.

Additional Articles from the Book of Medicine:

• Duty of the Throat
  
  

  Duty of the Throat.- the muscular bands of the throat now grasp it and pass it down the gullet into the stomach, beyond our control.  Here it comes into contact with the gastric juice, undergoes the churning motion of the stomach, discarded over by the pylorus, thoroughly saturated in mixed before entering into the intestinal tract, where it is subjected to the action of the file, the pancreatic juice and the intestinal fluid each with its special duty to perform.

   

  Again nothing terribly exciting here in this section but the next one will take us into “Nature’s Treasures Opened to Man”.

• Why the Library of Health?
  
  

  Archaelogical Journey into a Medical Text

  Close to 10 years ago I purchased an antique book at an auction,is about 6 inches thick it’s bound in green leather, and it’s titled library of health on the outside book cover. Inside the book its title library of health space complete guide to prevention and cure of disease. It’s said to contain practical information on

  anatomy, physiology and preventive medicine; curative medicine, first aid measures, diagnosis, nursing, sexology, simple home remedies, care of the teeth, occupational diseases, garden plant remedies, alcohol and narcotics, treatment by 15 schools of medicine, beauty culture, physical culture, the science of breathing and a dictionary of drugs.

  The book contains 21 books in one volume.

  I love old books, I love all books. There’s something about this book caught my eye that I couldn’t explain of the time. I picked it up and it’s been sitting in my library for years. Now I also love history and archaeology and over the last couple of months I’ve been coming up with the notion that I wanted to delve into this book from the perspective of an archaeologist studying what medical teachers or teaching future doctors a hundred years ago. His book was published in 1916 and it’s almost 100 years old I believe the first of the books from this set was originally published in 1860. The book is now in the public domain as it was published before 1923.

  I intend to proceed to go through the book and eventually cover many of the topics covered in the book from the perspective of looking at what was considered medical science at the turn of the century. I am not a doctor and I cannot verify the medical accuracy today of any of the items in this book nor do I recommend anyone use the items in this book for any form of cure or treatment.

  The purpose of this website is primarily educational from a historical perspectivenot a medical perspective except so much is that historical medical percept active might help current doctors understand where they’re body of knowledge evolved from years ago. I also think there will be some entertainment value in looking at some concepts both moral concepts and scientific concepts that existed at the turn of the century.

  I invite you to come along on my journey with me as we analyze this book and I think I might make this a hobby of mine looking at other books in the future. This volume is 1700 pages long and covers a wide body of knowledge on many different topics. I don’t think this journey will end any time soon…

• The Pancreas, or "Sweetbread"
  
  

  The Pancreas, or “Sweetbread.”  — The pancreas, or “sweetbread,” is a single glandular organ, situated transversely across the upper and back part of the abdomen, on a level with the last dorsal spine bone.  It is of an irregular, elongated form, from six to 8 inches in length, an inch and a half in breadth, and from a half to 1 inch in thickness.  It secretes about 7 ounces daily of a slightly alkaline fluid containing the organic principle — pancreatin, which is the property of changing the starchy food into sugar.  Whilst it has this power, yet its chief work in the digestive process seems to be the breaking up of the fat globules into myriad of my new particles which mix freely with water, and thereby promote their absorption by the lacteals.

  _____

  This section definitely exhibits a lack of understanding of the workings of the pancreas.  It’s not too far off and its description and characteristic described within it are not too far off.  You can can understand where they were going with their logic based on what they were observing.  I suppose if someone were to cut open some golf balls, they might as them that the plastic white shell is there to protect the rubber bands inside from the bludgeon of the golf club.  That’s not incorrect but it’s not exactly the purpose either.