The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-02-20 00:00:00

rHE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

LIVERPOOL MECIiANICS• INSTITUTION,

LECTURES ON PHYSIOLOGY.

On Wednesday:evening, Dr. Epps d'eliyered his fifth lecture;
to au audience more numerous, it possible, than any which we
have previously seen at his lectures.
•The stomach- ties in contact with the liver, spleen, and street=-
bread It forms. one continuous tube with the intestines, eioot
times the length of (he human body. These intestines are of
different foims, and have-different duties 'to perform, therefore;
• they are designated by different names. The food is lodged iu
the stomach by an orifice called the, cardiac, because it is nett
the heart. The orifice by which it leaves the stomach is called
the pyloric. There are some practical facts connected with this,
outlet of the highest importance. Many persons when they lake
• food immediately vomit it. in such cases we find, after opening
the body on death, that there is a blush cf redness about the
cardiac entrance, and a scientific man is enabled to afford a
remedy to this disease. The stomach is on the left side of the
body, it extends towards the right site, and terminates at .voliat
is called the pit of the stomach. The stomach of an adult will
hold three-and-a-half pints. It is a bag made up of four coats
or series of skins. The outer coat is a beautifully soft skin,
which by continually pouring out a moisture enables the stomach
to mole easily. Underneath this we have a fleshy coat which
enables the stomach to contract upon its food. The third coat.
binds them all together. The inside coat is a velvetty kind of
coat, and arranged in fOldi so that it may spread out a large
surface. We may see in tripe the appearance whickitpresents.
The inner coat of the stomach. has a peculiar body connected
with it. The stomach is supplied with an immense quantity of
blood.; perhaps, excepting the brain, there is no 'moan which is
supplied with so much. In nature, whenever a great quantity
of blood goes to any part, that organ has important datyto per-
form. 'The stomacli is the source of the Iv eatest mass of enjoy-
ment which our physical nature is capable cf receiving in this
terrestrial sphere. The stomach is supplied with nerves, which
give it the powers of feeling and of motion. When we consider
how much digestion is dependent upon the condition of nor
miuds we. can easily see how intimately our minds and stomachs ;
are connected. 11
,we take the stomach of a calf and soak it
in water, we get a peculiar fluid called tennetr, by which we get
curds and whey. Curds and whey are produeed by macerating
the stomach of a calf in warm water, which is capable of coagu-
lating milk ; that is to say, separating the coagulable pak of
milk from that which is not coagulable. . Rennet could be made
from the.human stomach as weft as from any oilier. This fluid
we call gastiic juice in the human stomach. The oastric juice
is supplied from the blood vessels which are distributed all over
the stomac', and when it mixes with the fond it converts it into
what is called chyme, End this process is called cOrmilication.
Our food is in this maniserconve.'ted into chyme, which is alsoft
poultice-l'ke jelly, in about three hours; tnernoil of infants takes
only half an hour in going though the process, Dr. Young
look 7 ;:sins of the gastric juice of a colt; and found that after
it had been mioed with water that it was sufficient to coagulate
6857 pints of milk, This shovvsi he power of gastric juice. We
frequently find infants throwing up from their sioinachscordled
milk. This is healthy: the milk has been curdled iiv the gas-
tric juice, and the-stomach being overloaded relieves itself by
evacuating its contents. The most extraordinary property of
gastric juice-is its power of -dissolving whatever is sutttvittpd to
its acting; we are chiefly indebted to the mouk,Spallaozani for
the kuow ledge which we possess relative to the solycot
pie, gastric juice. He used to roal:e slol!P globyies, dodo ving
fitledthern with meal, to let them down into the stomachs of
birds, and in an hour, when he withdrew them, he that
the food was dissolved.. tie also lei down into their soonaetts a
Quantity orsoonee, aod after it.had become saturated with gas-
tric juice he vvitOdiew it, and he round that when withdrawn
from the bride it had the same poWer of dissOlviojanitral food
as when it was in the body. A youno man, a Canadian, bad
received a gun-soot wound in his stomach. A Dr. Beaumont
pasted a tube into his stomach, and' brought oat a mointity of
the gastric juice, which he found was capattie of dissolving food
Much faster, however. woen it was hut that when it was coif.
The gastric jUice- of gran;vorous'a will not dissolve flesh,
nor that of eatniYorous animal. vegetables. 1 hese lack teach
us.that the mac is a out who pasts at once from animal to
vegetable diet, or rice tern. A man should remember that he
has a stomach, and that it is under the itillueneeorhabit, which
will not submit at once to a go ea, change. . Because one man
cannot enjoy the good thino or
,life in moderation, and
another man can, why should the latter be required to forego
his pleasure'becausn the fortnercannot place a proper restraint,
upon his desires. The gas-tric juice has an antiseptic power.
Dr. Beaumont kept a piece aver)! in gastric juice for a month,
and at the eoriration of that time it was quite sweet. This pro-
perty which it has, purifies any food woich we eat, however
tainted it may be when we eat it. When the food comes into
contact with the gastric juice those portions which are nearest
the stomach are more abundantly supplied vii;h it than those in
the centre, the consequeuye is, were thereno means o.:bringing
the central mass into contact, the food would be indigestea.
There is, however, in the stomach an action. dependent upon its
third c, aft which is called the peristaltic motion_ that produces
an efiect similar to that of stirring up tea yt ith a spoon. Masti-
cation is pf gieat imoortaoce, tithe! wise our stomachs would
have to perform the work left undone lay our teeth. The diges-
tive apparatus of a cow is more intricate than that of a man
theY have four stomachs, we have only one. A cow eats her
food first, then she browes. The food gets from stomach No. 1
into stomach No. 2; from this the cow brings it up into her
mouth, and chews it over again, and this is what we call chewing
the cud. After this the food gets into the stomach is o. 3, flour
which it ooes, into No. 4. By this time the food is so far digesied
as to fit it- fur going into the intestines. We ate omnivorous
animals, but our forefathers vale eat vegetable food. It is a
fact that all herbs are ditricult-of digestion. The gizzard of a
fowl is its stomach. - In it we :and a number of stones; 'wise
stones are fur the purpose of grinding toe food when it goes into
gizzard from the •crop. It the had not the power of grind- '
ing its food it would starve in the midst of plenty. • Those birds
which feed on animal food hate not a Touob but a
smooth one. The Ostr:ch swallows nails, large stones, and other
similar monstrosities, for the purpose of enabling it to grind its
food. .In 11190.1 of the crab tribe there are teeth in-the stomach
to grind the fond. It is a well 1,:0..wn tact that the Americans
are dyspeptic because they bolt their food. The, eat.it too Fa, ,
being only intent upon mal:iog dollars. . An Antavican sinks in
at the pit of the stomach, which arises fr•ito dyspepsia; au
Enszlishman has, on the coat cat y, a glorious minuet]. -
We now come to consider toe pyloric valve. This is the
valve which, as we have he;o•e stated, allows lbe food to pass
from the stoinach into the intestoies. This valve is one of the
most extraordinary valves, and its duty is to allow nothing to •
pass which is not property converted into chyle. Alt seasoned
meats, such as ham, are cot»parativelv iudiiestible substances,
and ought to be well masticated before they are swallowed. It
may be asked how it, is that ham is so indigestible. whilst pen-
knives are allowed to pass the pyloric valve. The valve in
every case attempts to do its duty, and it is not until repeated
eWorts have been made that the pjoknife is allowed to pass ;
therefore of this valve it cannot be said, 'c c'll l piemier pot qui
code. However, for this a very slum.; stomach is required.
Many persons feel chilly after dinner, and take a little brandy
and water to warm them. This chilliness alises from persons
haYing taken too tnOi'h dinner, anti, is consenuerice, the circu-
iation goes from the centre of the body to the stomach, to assist
in the digestion, whereby the centre of the body gets cold.
Persons go to the fire and diaw the blued froM thestornach, and
get the dvspensia, and go to the doctor; in short, almost all the
fees of Medical Men are derived from poisons who violate the
organic laws. Many persons have been killed by blows upon
the stomach after thee have takett the foird. There is an 01. d
adage to the following t ffect

Afier dinner sit a while,
Arter supper run a mile.

The lecturer could not understand the meaning of the latter
line, hut as the adage oritinated at o::',Ord, at a tune when there
was no are, it probably was in older to 14.4 warm befwe go.ng
to bed. The former line is easily undeis.ood, because,ly work-
ing, we send the blood into the lungs, and weaken the trerun's
energy, by which the digestion of the food is carried on. The
best experiment for proving ibis was that of John Hunter. He
took two dogs, and gave them the same goantity of food. One
of these dogs he took out with him, and the other he left on the
the dog Which had been left on the rug
rug. When he returned he killed both dogs, and found ;hat
had digested its food,
whilst the dog which he bad taken out with him had not digest-
ed it at all. Many persons are killed be not allowing their fond
time to digest. The 11lanchester people show their sense by
dining at one o'clock. In London they dine at are, when the
System is in a debilitated state. We ougiit to rise early, break-
fast early, dine early, and retie to bed early. At one o'clock
you may see dinner writ.en on every face in Mancliester..and
it is a most delightful thinv, to witness the an:;ietv betrayed by
each individual at dinner-iiine.

. It is a most important thing to know when to wean a child.
,Many women who suckle their children ,for a loog time feet
pains in the ride; their children become emaciated and un-
well. It is a fact, that when the four first teeth are perfectly
;developed, it is time to give up suckling. Between the eighth
and fifteenth months all these teeth are developed, and it is
time to give up suckliog.- No ch;ftl should be fed unit it .has
got teeth-, and then its food should approximated to the nature of
its mother's mi!k, and be given first twice a day, and by degrees
oftener. Arrow-toot is not the best thing to give theta. 'There
are naanv mothers who cannot suckle their own children, and
in this case, it is necessary to know this fact, that the qualify
of the female milk is continually al,ering. When he child is
born it is weak, and it gals sironger in proportion as the child
advances in age. For this reason a wet nurse should always be
chosen whose child was born at the same period as that which
she is reeuired to nurse, otbetwise the health and growth of the
child will be injured. This leads us to the fact, that when old
people lose their teeth, they should live as children do, in which
case they would live to a much longer age than they do. But
they are too fOnd of flavoured meats, and will- not go hack to
the food of their infancy. If persous neglect the hours at which
they take their food, in process of time every thing they eat
turns sour upon their stomach, and they are troubled with flatu-
lency, If we overload our stomachs we get dyspepsia, a.nd then
perceive that we were intended to eat a certain quantity, and
to enjoy it in moderation. Napoleon died of an ulcer •in the'
stomach, the cause of which was his great mental anxiety, and.
the little time he took for digesting his food. The lecturer had
known many merchants in London cured of dyspepsia in this'
simple way. One merchant had been ill of the disease for six-
teen years. The lecturer found that when he want to anew re-
sidence be was always well for about two months. after. The
fact was, that for that period the road was new to him, and it
prevented him from falling into a train of ars:cious thought`; but
that at the end of that period, however interesting the scenery,
be became 'so wrapt up in his own ideas that he passed along
without observing it. Dr. Epps completely cured him by caus-
ing hiin to change his residence once in two months. Some
time ago, when travelling was not so easy as it-is at present,
and persons had to make their wills before 'they went a moder-
ate journey, a doctor is London, who had. long .been troubled
with a patient afflicted. with this complaint, told him, that be
would undertake his recovery if he would undergo and consult
a Dr. Suthet land at Inverness. The patient set off accoldingiy,
and after arriving there. had the mortification to find, that , no.
Dr. Sutherland lived at Inverness. Boiling with rage, he called
..upon his medical man, when he returned, to upbraid him'with
his tteatment. It is needless to say tliat the journey-quite cured
him, and that when the Doctor explained,. the patient was,satis-
tied. Indeed it is far cheaper to pay, one guinea or two to the
-coach °dice than to the doctor, because by it you get renewed,
health. Doctors recommend their patients to go to some.wa-
tering,-place, in order to get them away from their business.
Then they rise at six in the morning instead of nine; they take
a large quantity of the,chalytteate waters before breakfast, eat
a hearty breakfast, and, by a similar sort of exercise end diet,
soon perceive 'a manifest improvement in health. If a person
were to take care of his stomach, he might .enjoy health in the
town as well as in the country, by taking occasional trips into,
the country, .
'There are many persons who feel pain when the food has been
in. their stomach three betas. This arises front a stoppage Of,
the pyloric valve, and then those persons ought to go to their
medical Man, as., if neglected,. ulceration frequently, ensues. If
a than wishes to live a long life aud,a happy ,one, he should
spread out his lungs by speaking, and should allow his children
to do the same. The noise which children make is their play,
and the more children expand their lungs, the more perfectly
will the, blood circulate through them, and the snore vigorous
will be the entire system.

LEEDS AND WEST RIDING BANE.—After making provision
for the bild and doubtful debts, a divid,nd of 8 per cent, has
been daclared, and the reserved serplus fund increased.