Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1858-09-02
Wonders of the Human SYSTEM

on its road to the gullet, over the entrance of
the wnd-ppe without falling into it. A little
movable lid, the epiglottis, which is lifted up
when we breathe is pressed down upon the
chnck of the air-passage by the weight of the
food and the action of the muscles in swallow
ing it. Neither solids nor liquids, in short, can
pass without shutting down the trap door as
they proceed. But this is only part of the
safeguard. The slit at the top of the wind
pipe, which never closes entirely while we
breathe, is endued with keen Sensibility to
the slightest particle of matter. The least
thing which touches the margin of the aperture
causes its slides to come together and the in
truding body is stopped at the inlet 1t is
stopped, but unless removed, must drop at the
next inspiration into the lungs To effect its
expulsion the senSiblity of the rim at the ton
OF the wlnd-pipe actually puts into vehement
action whole class of muscles placed lower
than its bottom, and which, compressing the
chest, over which they are distributed, drives
out the air with a force that sweeps the offend
ing substance before it. The convulsive cough
ing which arises when we are choked is the en-
ergetic effort of nature for our relief when any
thing chances to have evaded the protective
epigottls. Yet taiS property, to which we are
constantly owing our lives, is confined to sin
gle spot in the throat 1t does not, as Sir
Charles Bell afirms, belong to the rest of the
wind-ppe, but is limited to the orifce, where
alone it is needed. Admirable, too, it is to
observe, that while thus sensitive to the most
insignificant atom, it bears without resentment
the atmospheric currents which are necessarily
passing to and fro over its irritable lips 1t
rejects" says Paley, I" the touch of crumb of
bread or drop of water, with a spasm which
cOnvuSeS the whole frame yet, left to itself
and its proper orifce, the intromiSsion of air
alone, nothing can be so quiet. 1t does not
even make itself felt ; man does not know
that he has trachea. This capacity of per-
ceiving with such acuteneSs, this impatience of
offence,yet perfect rest and ease when let alone,
are properties one would have thought, not
likely to reside in the same subject 1t is SO
to the junction, however, of these almost in
consistent qualities in this as well as in some
other delicate parts Of the body, that we owe
our safety and our comfOrt-our safety to their
sensibility, our comfort to their repose.
Another of the examples adduced by Bell is
that of the heart The famous Dr. Harvey
examined, at the request of Charles l., no.
beman of the Montgomery family, who in con-
sequence of an abSceSS. had fistulouS opening
into the chest, through which the heart could
be seen and handled. The great Psychologist
was aStORshed to find it inSensibe 90 | then
brought him." he says, to the King that he
might behold and touch so extraordinary
thing, and that he might perceive, as | did,
that unless when we touched the outer skin, or
when he saw our fingers in the cavity, this
yeuag nobeman knew not that we touched his
heart" Yet, it is to the heart that we refer
our joys, onr sorrows, and our affections we
speak of a good-hearted, a hard dhearted, a true
hearted and heartlesS man. Shielded from
physical violence by Il outwork of bones, it is
not invested with sensations which cUud have
contributed anything to its preservation but
while 1t can be grasped with the fingers, and
give no intimation OF the fact to its poSSesSor,
it unmiStakably responds to the varied motions
of the mind, aud by the general consent of
mankind is pronounced the seat of ear pleas
ures, gifts, sympathies, hatredS, and love. Per-
sons have frequently dropped down dead from
the vehemence with which it contacts or ex-
pands spen the sudden announcement of good
or bad newS--its muscular walls being strained
too far in the upward Or downward direction
to enable them to return-and one Of the pur.
poses which this property Of the heart is pro-
baby designed te Subserve is to put check
upon the passions through the alarming physi-
cal sensations they excite.
The brain, again, is enclosed in bony case
All our bodily sensations are dependent upon
the nerves, but even the nerves do not give rise
to feeling unless they are in connection with
the Nrain The nervous chord which, in fam
iliar language, is called the spinal marrow, is
the channel by which this communication is
kept up as the major part of them, and when
the section of what may be termed the great
trunk road for the conveyance of our sensations
is diseased, and by the breach in its continuity
the nerves below the disordered part can no
longer send its accustomed intelligence to the
brain, the portion of the body which thus be-
comes isolated may be burned or hacked, and
no more pain will result than if it belonged to
dead carcass instead of a living man. The
brain therefore, in subordinatiOn to the mind,
is the physical centre OF all sensation. Yet,
strange to say it is itself insensibe to the
wounds which are torture to the skin, and which
wounds the brain alone enables us to feel 1t
is as insensble," says Sir Charles Bell, cas- the
leather of our shoe, and piece may be cut off
without interrupting the patient Of the sentence
that he is uttering. Because the bone which
envelopes it is its protection against injuries
from without, it has no perception of them when
directed against its own fabric, though it is at
the same time the sole source of the pain which
those injuries inaict upon the other portions of
the system. But the skull is no defence against
the effects of intemperance, or vitiated at
mosphere, or too great mental toll, To these
consequently the same brain which has been
created insenSibe to the cut of the knife, is
rendered fully alive, and giddiness, headaches,
and apoplectic oppression give simple notice to
US to stop the evil, unless We are prepared to
pay the penalty London Quarterly.