Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1858-11-24
(From the London Quarterly.1
WCNDE Rs OF The HUMAN SYSTEM

w.
Paley appiands the contrivance by which
everything we ea. and drink is made to glide
on its road TO the gallet, over the entrance to
the windpipe, without falling into it. A little
moveab.e lid. the epig CLOTHS. which is lifted
up when we Breathe. is pressed down upon
the chiuk of the sir-passage by the weight of
the food aud the action Of the muscles In
swallowing il. Nesther solids nor liquids. in
short, can pass. without shutting down the
trsp-door as they ,vaceed But this i, only
part of the sa}E, E,isaard The slit at the top
of the .windpipe =, saica never closes entirely
when we bread iae-adowed with an acute
sansibility to the slightest particles Of matter
The least thing touching the margin of the ap-
ertIre causes its sides to come TRULY together,
and the intrudin body is stopped at the in-
let. 1t is stopped. but unless removed, must
drop at the next Inspiration into the lungs
To effect its expulsion the sensibillty Of the
rim at the top OF the windpipe actually puts
into vehement action u Whole class of muscles
placed lower taxu the bottom. aud which;
COMPRISING thesrhest, over which they are
distributed, drigea. out the air with force
that sweeps theofleuding substance before it
The couvulslse coughing which arises
when we are cboked, Is the energetic effort
of nature for our relief when anything
chances to have eyaded the protectiog cpl
glo,tis. Yet this property. to which We are
constantly owing our lives. Is coufned to a
single spot in the throat IL dues not Gas
Sir Charles Bell afirms) bcbng to the wind
pipe, but is Limited to the ori6ce, where alone
1t is needed Admirable, too, il is to observe
that, while thus sensitive to the most insight
fcaut atom, itsbears, without Resentment. the
atmospheric currents which are constantly
passing to and fro over its irritabl. lips. 1t
rejects" says Paley, 1.-The touch of crumb
OF bread or . drop of water, with a spasm
that couvuses the whole frame and yet, left
to itself aud its proper SHiee. the iutromlssion
of air alone. Nthiug can be SO quiet 1t does
not even n.Ee itself. felt; man does not
know that hd bias aftrachea This capacity
of perceiying with such acuteness. this I'M
patience of vfeuce Jet perfect rest ami ease
when let alone. are pfoperties, one would
have ,houghEDot likely to-reside n the same
subject Itsis to the junction, however, of
these almost fpconsistent qualities in this. as
we'll as in sd Ye other pasts of the body, that
we owe oul esfety aud our comfort-our
safety to ths inssnsibili'y' and our comfort
Another OF The examples adduced by Bell,
is that Of the heart. The famous DR.. Harvey
examined at the request of Charles l., no.
bleman of the Montgomery family, who. in
consequence of an abcess. had fstulous
openiug iuto the chest, through which the
heart could be seen aud handled The great
physiulogist was astouished to find 1t insensi-
bic ~ then brougtt him" he says Ito the
king, that he might behold AID touch 50 ex
traordinary thing. aud that be might per-
ceive, as did, that. luless when We touched
the outer skin, or wheu he saw our hugers In
the cavity, this young nobleman knew not
that we touched his heart Yet 1t Is to the
heart that We refer our joys, our sorrows aud
our affections; speak of good hearted
| and bad hearted, a true-hearted aud Il
heartess man. Shielded from physical vio-
| lence by an out-work of bones, 1t is not in-
vested with SENSATIONS which could have con-
tributed nothing to It's preservailon; but while
| it can be grasped with the fingers, and gave
| no intinatiou of the fact to its possessor, 1t
responds to the varied questions of the mind
| and by the general consent of manklud IL
| pronounced the seat of our pleasures, griets
! s,mpatLies, hatreds and loves. Person!
have frequently dropped down dead from the
vehemence with which it contracts or expand:
upon the sudden announcement OF good ul
bad newS-its muscular walls being strained
too far in the upward or downward direction
to enable them 10 return-and one OF th'
purposes which this property OF the heart Ii
probably designed to subserve, is to put
check upon the passions through the alarming
physical sensation they excite
The brain. again, Is enclosed in bony
case. All our bodily sensations are depend
ent upon the nerves, but even the nerves c.
not give rise to feeling unless they are II
connection with the brain. The nervous
chord, which, in familiar language, is calIe'
the spinal marrow. is the channel by which
communication is kept up in the major part c
them, and when q section Of what may b
called the great trunk for the conveyance c
our sensations is deceased, and by the breac
in its continuity the nerves below the disor
dered part eau no longer seud their accus
toned intelligence to the brain. the portion G
the BODY which thus becomes isolated may b
burned or hacked, and no more pain will resu
than if it belonged to dead carcass instea
of living man The brain, therefore, i
subordination to the mind, is the physics
centre of all sensation. Yet. strange to say
it is itself nseusible to the wounds which ar
torture to the skin, and which wounds TT
brain alone enables us to feel. 1T Is 1
= insensble," says Sir Charles Bell, las tt
leather of our shoe, aud piece may be CT
off without interrupting the patient 10 tt
: sentence he is uttering. Because the boz
n which envelopes it is its protection again
e injuries from without, it has no perception
d them when directed against Its own .ab:l
Il thuogh it is, at the same time, the sole sour'
is of the pain which these injuries iDtiict upt
y the other portions of the system But t
\ \ skull is no defence against the effects OF /
!" temperance. or vitiated atmosphere, or
great mental toll. To these. consequent
!, the same brain which has been created inse