The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-02-16 00:00:00

ME LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

LIVERPOOL MECHANICS, INSTITUTION.

LECTURES ON PiIYSIOLOGY.

On Saturday Dr. Epps delivered his fuu►th lecture, to a
nuineriius audience.

The croup is a disease to which children are, particularly
subject, and these generally the most promising and lovely.
It is occasioned by the atmospheric air_ being prevented from
obtaining access to the lungs, iii consequence of the accumula-
tion of coagulable lymph upon the internal membrane which
lines the windpipe. The most effectual means of getting rid of
this is by the administration of an emetic, whicti causes the
expulsion of the lymph from the larynx.
It very often happens that individuals die from the conse-
quences of excessive passion ; thus we have the common phrase
of bursting with rage. Wben a woman is in a rage she holds
her breath, and her fi..ce becomes red. Whilst she holds her
breath, her heart still continues to perform its duty, and, as
the lungs cannot do theirs, the blood rushes into her head, and
the veins, particularly the jugular veins, become distended to
so enormous an extent as to be terrific. The carotid arteries like-
wise become very large, and very often a person bursts with
rage, in consequence of the rupture of some of the blood vessels.
It is a well known fact that persons die of broken hearts. This
is easily understood. The heart is composed of fleshy bags.
By a long course of excitement through grief these bags are
distended and rendered thin; thus whenever the individual
receives a sudden shock, the influx of blood iuto these bags
overcomes their strength, and the heart being ruptured, instant,
death ensues. It is necessary that the air we breathe should be
pure, otherwise the health of the person breathing it will be
much injured. Owing to want of proper ventilation numbers
of persons are annually cut off. It is a fact that in manufac-
turing districts, where there is an abundance of coal to be had
at a cheap rate, the mortality is less than in those where there
is a scarcity of coal. The cause-of this is, that a tire acts as a
ventilator. There was a manufacturer at Leeds who was advised
by Dr. Thackeray to make a revolving fan, which worked from
the bottom to the top of the manufactory. The consequence
was, that his workmen lost their haggard appearance, and were
so much improved iu their appetites that they begged the ma-
nufacturer either to give them snore wages, so as to enable
them to satisfy their increased appetites, or to do away with the
fan. Ile could nut afford to give them higher wages, so he
struck a bargain half way—he used his fan only three times a
week. Every body knows how delightful it is to take -a walk
into the cuuutrv, and how delicious are the meals which we
take there. This arises in a great measure from the purity, or
what is commonly called the freshness of the air, and our release
from the cares of life. Persons who sponge their chests every
morning with cold water, salt and water, or vinegar and water,
will find their health increased by the practice, and they will
seldom have occasion to call in the aid of a doctor.

The process of digestion as it is called, is the process by which
our food is converted into nutriment. Anything which we can
convert into chyle, is nourishment. Thus some persons live
upon sawdust and clay, and as these tbiiigs can be converted
into chyle, the animal organs go on performing their duties.
The processes of digestiou are very many. The first which we
have to notice is that of mastication, (Sr what is commonly
called chewing. Our lips are surrounded by several sets of,
muscular fibres, by which we have the power of puckering them
up. like ladies' garments. These muscles enable the lips to
convey food into the mouth, where it is reduced to small parti-
cles by the teeth. The front teeth are fur the purpose of cutting
the food, the four sharp side teeth called canine, for the purpose
of tearing it, and the grinders for the purpose of chewing it.
A blood vessel runs along each jaw, and sends off shoots to the
fangs of the teeth. each fang receiving a separate vessel. Tooth
ache is occasioned by the expansion of these blood vessels, so as
to cause them to press upon the nerves of the teeth. The blood
vessels are subject to this expansion if we take cold in the
gums. The bone in which the teeth are fixed is of a spongy
character, by which means the teeth are enabled to endure
much greater shocks than they otherwise could, the bone yield.
lug to the pressure. If we wish to preserve our health, we
sh9uld take care our teeth. It is ouly when we lose them that
we' know their I rue value. If persons would take the trouble to
clean their teeth every morning their health and happiness would
be much improved. The upper jaw is quite fixed, but the lower
jaw is moveable on very slender joints, and is comparatively
„easy of dislocation. This is the reason why nurses push the
jaws of infants up wheu they gape. Many persons cannot eat
without drinking ; this is both useless and injurious, because
the saliva or spittle secreted by the glands in the cheeks is
intended to mix with the food. When we talk, a quantity of
Saliva enters the mouth, in consequence of these glands being
pressed upon by the jaws in opening and shutting. Thus per.
sons are enabled to talk for three or tour hours very comforta-
bly. When any thing good has been provided for our appetites
we find a watering of the mouth, indeed the bare idea of some-
thing good is sufficient to cause it. Dreaming likewise produces
this effect. Disease sometimes causes an overflow of the
vessels containing the saliva. A butcher visited London some
time since for the purpose of taking the lecturer's advice
respecting a hole in his cheek, which passed through the tube
conveying the saliva. Whenever this man passed a cook-shop
the saliva trickled down his cheek out of the hole. It is a very
curious fact that if a man chews his food well he is satisfied with
half the quantity. The use of the tongue in mastication is to
collect the food either for the purpose of further mastication, or
preparatory to swallowing it. The tongue is intersected by a
number of fibrous muscles, which enable it to make such rapid
gyrations. Many persons swallow their food without mastica-
tion, but not without the previous remonstrance of the tongue,
which always endeavours to do its duty. When food is masti-
cated sufficiently, the tongue lifts itself up, the little epiglottis
falls down, and the food rolls into the gullet. When we take
anything hot into the mouth we are frequently obliged to spit
it out again, in consequence of the tongue being burned. The
tongue is in this, as well as most other cases, an excellent indi-
cator of what is good for us ; and in all instances of acquired
tastes, such as that fur ardent spirits, it always an the first place
expresses its dislike.

When mastication is finished, deglutition or swallowing
commences. Persons in swallowing press the lower jaw against
the upper one, and the windpipe is forcibly pulled forwards by
a variety of muscles, so as to allow room for the gullet to
su ell out. The gullet being expanded the morsel tumbles into
it, and down it must go. M the back of the mouth there is a
beautiful curtain hanging down, called an uvula, or little grape.
Beside this are what 1, called the tonsils. This curtain is for
the purpose of not letting the food come hack again. This
curtain l►fts up to allow the passage of the food. Behind the
curtain are the fauces, which are two passages from the nostrils
to the back of the mouth. There is also a passage from the
mouth to the ears, by which we hear sound; and Indian jug-
elers, by boring through the drums of the ears, are enabled to
discharge simultaneously smoke through the nostrils and ears.