Litchfield enquirer., 1857-09-17

months without stool, one would carry 546 pounds and the other 1892 pounds What an absurd idea that person could carry about with him thousand pounds the half of it of fecal matter or even 63 42, the 2l pounds. Suppose the patient at the end of the first week, who is supposed to have 21 pounds in store, is weighed how much more will he actually weigh will he weigh 21 more? No. Will he weigh the half of it, or 5 pounds or nonnd , No not one half ounce more and the great prol,a bility is, that Ee will not even weigh as much as he did the week previous. What has become of the 21 pounds of refuse matter? That's question much easier asked than answered if we stick to inc old doctrine laid down in the books I'll tell you what has become of it the uhole of the food was taken up and carried into the circulation. and a a good portion has passed through the bladder in
 form of urine, and through the pores of the skin in 1 the form of illsensible precipitation.
 It has come under the observation of almost every one that patient laboring under acute disease where no solid food has been taken for weeks, vet the stools are we'll formed and copious as ever and in fact this same patient may have, at the mencement of his disease, taken strong and purga- tive medicine. which expelled every particle of fecal matter, and before taking any nourishment, with the exception perhaps of little tea, he has had other stools almost copious and of much consistencc as the first This of course could not have been the residium of the food for the patient had taken none Patients with lock jaw where it was an i'm possibility for them to take anything for days and weeks, in the shape of nourishment, except liquid and that of the thinnest kind yet have daily evacu- { from in the mouth, that precuded the possi- biiity of taking any kind of nourishment by the mouth, have been nourishtd and kept alive by enc
 s yet they have stools of more or less consistence Where could this fecal matter come trom--certainly not from the food
 Again, persons subject to Constipaon generally have good, and Sometimes enormous apre,tes and eat large quantities, yet have movement of the bowels very seldon and then very small in quantity. If il be retained in the bowels of there would be pro
 tolerance there, giving evidence that there quan- tty o matter lodged there; but the contrary, in stead ot there beng any protuberance tlere conspa- ted persons always have exceedingly flat bellies; and moreover. If there quantity ot matter lodged there the patient would wclgh more but he does not weigh one ha f ounce more than ae did at the last movement of his bowels
 As an argument against this doctrine, may be said that particles of tood seeds, skins of dred ru cherry stones, &c are found in the stools. This, however, Is no argument against it, foI they found there ei ther because they escape the action of the gastric Julce or It was impossible for the gastric juice dis solve ths m. If a man swallow a canon ball, 1 would not expect 1t 10 be dissolved by the gastric juice or prepared by the stomach for it's reception into the 1 culatlon. II a person swallow a penny cherry sone 1t is bound to go through them, for the gastrrc juice will not dissolve it.
 Now, what conceive to be about the right view of this whole matter IS thls-The food, and the whole of It. IS, by the muscular action and the juices of the 1 mach converted into soft homogeneous mass, and . then is passed along into the upper bowels called the duodenun, on the sides ot which great number of lltLe ortces, which mouths of smaller vessels or tubes called lacaels whose office it to take up this 1000, now called chlle and along and discharge 1t into la rge vein, and by which i: is carried the hear; from the heart IS forced into the lungs, when by comlng m contact with the atmosphere, 1t is verted mo good healthy red blood, and fit jhu not previously for the purpose of nujrton It now beng made into good red D ood, is brought back by large velns to the h. art again. from whence il is again prope into the large arteries and distributed every portion of the system. The blood passing through these areres IS received into anuher of vessels of the very smallest Ca bre called capillary vessels, and which Tn every tissue of the body, and llat the point O small needle cannot enter the without pIerclng tlCm
 Now in these minute vessels the great functions of nutrition anu se.reton are carried or, ia other words, the de posting ot all the solids. such bone, sinew, muscle, nails, &c; this IS nutrition, while the deposng o the quds such as bile, gastric juice, sa- lva, tears. &c called secretion. Every particle of the suds and lqulds of the body separated and de- posed from the ood by these small vessels; but bear Tn nind that the deposits made only for short time. As almost every one is aware, there Is stant change going on m the system-old solids are belng broken down and taken away, and new deposi- matter deposited Now old matter alter it has be the worse for wear becomes broken down, out, useless and must in some way be revvied, lvened, made new again. The commencement of this ork IS accomplished by vessels called absorbent vessels. By these, Is old matter, after it is broken down and requited, taken up and passed along into tie vens and by which Il is earned the hear and rom he heart, It Is thrown into the lungs and thus by its contact wnh the atmosphere t becom rid of it's carh nic ac'd receives fresh supply of oxygen, is re- Vvihed, made new agaln and IS brought back 10 the hear, and IS now ready to be sent hroug hou the en- tIre System to be deposited again. Thus II will be seen that bone, muscle, mucus bile, saliva, &c. is deposit ed, r -crcGlated, and redeposlted again and again. hs IS true of good portion ot each but not all, for there Is portion ot each after 1t has been taken up by the absorbent vessels that cannot be revivltied- that cannot be enlvened and made into good blood agaln; and now what Is done with hls that IS ot no further for the system carried out of the sys- by of secretng vessels made for the purpose. Ana how By three d dftrent channels, vlz-,hr.ugh the kidneys, by the of through skin, in the form o nsenslbe persp'ratnn and through he I,,,., 1e ht,, ,I,a 1 Thus II will be .a: .':e secretion ot tecal mat instead of being the cFuum ot the food, the druss broken down matttl which heinz no longer o to the slscm IS sent out o the sy 8 em through the secretng vessels of the mucus membrane Of the lower boN els This Is of the channels by which the blood IS rid of these matters, the retention oi winch would not only eav no room for the adm sslon o new blood, made from chile, which IS consl antly being formed, bnt would vlIiate the blood, and clog the wheels of life. So essential is the eliminating o these matters no longer o any use r the purposes ot nour- lshng the hody that when of these channels from any cause, Ceases to scCre;e does mperteCtlv, one of the other channels or both, will perform double duty For instance, when the lower bowels do net crete their propnrtonate share in the form of ecal ter there always much larger flow Of urine and wi'h greater disposition to preparation. In cold weather, every one knows the flow of urine is al- ways greater than in warm, and il because the skin becomes shrunk and shriveied up from the cold which closes the capillary vessels of ihe skn and there ! cases on record, where the mucus membrane of the C. lon failing secrete the feces, the skin has been made the point of elimination disgusting ex- tent.
 | Now from what has been said, think that the read CT will discover that he leces are as true a secretion from the blood is the saliva, bile, gastric juice. &c., and II should be bone Tn mind that the of creon o leces depends upon lhe of blood sent 10 mucns membrane ot the lower bowels if there is but le blood sent these, very little secretion take place from it. but if th" patient be in good hca h and possess good supply Of rich red blood, he will about every lwehty-tour hours, have secreed some , or 6 ct iecal matter and tn quantity being present. will excite the bowels to contract and discharge their contents.
 1 AS good, wholesome and substantial food makes od, rich blood and plenty for every 1 of the body 10 carry on It's functions, and also know that every constpated person has not only craving and ravenous appetite, but graes il, the next question: and the last one is-
 1 As the leces secretion from the blood, and the amount of secretion depends upon the quantity o blood dis r,buted to the mucus membrane the lon, and there lack ot appetite, withholding of go d and substantial food, which makes bIood ln simultaneously is the patient almost bloodesS and for this reason const pated
 1 Because of congestion Of ,he stomach or upper bow els, which nnts those organs from ing up the food and preparing in proper manner for the circulation.