The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1852-08-12

limb or the feeble arm Men OF scienc
and benevoence! how long must it
before mankind will be willing to acquaiu
themselves with this divine instrumen
within them? How will they allow thi
lever OF beauty, symmetry, health and pow
er, to slumber within their own organiza
ton? This, in connection with th'
nerves OF volilion, is the great mediator be
tween the mind and all the iissues--all th,
parts Of the body. II is the grand highwa,
by which the mind may indirectly react
every cell of the body. Ignorance Of this
available and benefcent instrument ol
longevity will expose man TO all the flames
of disease; it drags Us upon the border Of d
CONSUMING crater, and places US on psr
with the silly fly which plays with the
flame Of death. BY thousands it is said
that the goddess Hygeine is mos, capri
cious lady-,ha' her happiness depends on
the variations which she can produce ia
the health aud disease Of mankind! Such
is calnmny on woman and blasphemy
lon iniidelitv. There is not a thorough
ina,omist and physologist but can take
The feeblest constitu,ion--provided it is
free from organic lesion--and make it
healthy, strong and vigorous. The feeble
lady may be soon blthe, robust and fleet
The broken down and wan student NAV
soon be restored to tne vigor of an athels
Hesih is no longer the gift of good luck
or Of whimsical fortune. That capricions
lady is fast retiring from the gaze Of phi
iosophy though her sex was never So
much needed and cour,ed ns now. 1t is
no longer mystery, but subject Of stud,
and investigation Rules of health are
row fixed, and health may be the posses
sion of all. Except the aid secured by me
cbanical and chemical agencies, the office
and duty of the physician is to regulate
| Increase or decrease--as the case NAV be
the ,onicity and conlrac,ility Of the
muscular fore. This is a fundamental
truth in medicine, aud will be clearly seen
by the aid OF few collateral facts.
The cells, composing the fourth tissue
the laborers Of the body the 'hewers Of wood
and drawers of water'--perform three Off
ces: they manufacture the blood, thoy con-
sumo it and they purify it. But they are
stationary, and depend upon what is carried
to them; and, unless material is brought
within their domain, they are idle and use
less. Some other tissue must do this
must send the blood in rapid circuits
throughout the body-carry il up to every
cell. This is one Of the offices Of the mus.
cuIar tissue: to circulate the blood. Bu,
this tissue lacks the power 10 set itself in
motion. The human body is most com
| pick mmunity-compQsed Of individuals
and each person dependent for the slight
est breath upon his neighbors, and they in
turn alike dependent for the least convent
ence upon him: the cells are power'ess
without blood; blood motionless withou,
muscular force; and muscles forever pas
sive without the stimulus of blood and
nervous influence. Now il is evident that
the due combination Of tonicity and con
,ractility is the great attainment Of all
therapeutic app'iances--ihe object of med
cation.
The sixth, or nervous tissue, is the
| asst of the series-and the noblest Of
them all. Our present scope merely EN-
braces the physical structure, aud not the
mental, hence the lowest divi. ion of the
nervous system will only be considered
This tissue resembles galvanic battery
with wires going to il and from it. 1t has
central bodies, called gangions, and
nerves passing into them aud out of them.
Those which proceed from them, terminate
upon the muscular fibre. while those which
90 to them, spring from all the surfaces Of
the body. The latter are called exciting.
or sensitive, and the former reflex or motor.
The nerve simply transmits an influence,
either upon a muscle, or to the gangIlons; /;
the ganglions originate The nervous power,
as the battery does eec,ricity--the wires
are to the battery what the nerves are TO
the ganglions. Some Of the nerves which
spring from the surfaces, are adapted to
recognize only the impressions Of a single
agent-as the eye, which is only affected
by rays OF ight-,he ear, by oscillations
Of the atmosphere--he nose, by odors-the
mouth by flavors. Others arc affected by
multitude Of objects, as the external sur
face, stomach, intes,ines and air pass age
These nerves, on the outposts of the organ
, lization, are to the body its sentnels, ant
| the action of the gangiions corresponds Il
) what they receive from these exciting, in
forming nerves; the nerves which 60 from
: tho ganglions transmit reflex influences
according to the action of the ganglon'