The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-07-11
WONDERS or THE HlMAY SKSTEM.



tfrom the onion eaarterlyJ
Paley appauds the contrivancc by which everything
we eat and drink to glide on its road to the gull
let over the entrance of tho wndppe without falling
into it, A little noyeable lid the epigIots which IL
lifted up when we breathe is pressed down upon the
chnk of the air passage by the weight the food and
the action Of the muscles in swallowing it. Neither
solids nor liquids In short can pass without shutting
down tho trapdoor as they proceed But this is only
mart of the safeguard The slit at the op of the wind
nine which never closes entirely when we breathe Is
endowed with an acute sensibty to the sght particle
Of matter The least thing which touches the margin of
the aperture causes its sides to come firmly together and
the tudInp body ia stopped at the inlet II stopped
but unless removed must drop at the next inspiration
into the ngs To effect its expulsion the sensbility OF
the rim at the top Of the windpipe actually puts into
vehement action whole class of muscles placed lower
than its bottom md which COMPRISING the chest
which they are distributed drives the air with force
that tsweeun the offending substance before it.
The conyulsive coughing which sxises when we
Il the cnerpetc effort of nature for our relief
when ANYTHING chances to have evaded the protecting
epicotts Yet this property to which we constantly
owing our lives Is confined 10 siAas stet ia tho throat
II does not as Sir Charles Bell arms, belong to tho
rst of the indpipe Init Is limited to the orifcc where
alone it is needed Admirable too is to observe that
while thus sensitive to the most insignificant atom it
bears without resentment the atmospheric currents
which are constantly passing to and fro its irritable
Inns 1t rejects saws Paley the touch of crtmb
of bread or drop of water with spasm that conyuses
the whole frame and vet left to itself and its proper
lntermIHqiOD
quiet II does not even make itself felt man not
know that he has a trachca" This capacity of per-
ceiving with such acuteness this mpaence Of offence,
vet perfect rest and ease when let alone are properties
one would have thought not likely to reside in the same
subject 1t is to the junction however of these almost
inconsistent qualities in this MS we'll as in some other
delicate parts of the body that we owe our safety and
our comorour safety to their sensibity our comfort
To their repose e5tA
Another of the examples addced by Bell IL that of the
heart The famous Dr. Harvey examined at the request
of Charles L a noble,nan of the Montgomery family,
who in consequence of an abces had fistulous open
ing into the chest through which the heart could be
aud handled The great Psychologist was astonished
find Il insensble II then brought him - no says sto
the king that he might behold and touch so extrord-
nary thing and that he might perceive as did that
unless when we touched the outer skin or when he
our fingers in the cavity this young nobleinan knew
that we touched the hoar Yet 1t is the heart that
we refer our Joys, our sorrows and our affections
speak of good hearted and bad hearted true hearted
and heartless man. Shielded from physical violence
by an outwork of bones 1t il not invested with
tions which could have attributed nothing its preser
yaton but while 1t can be grasped with the fingers and
give no ntmation of the fact possessor it unis
taaby responds to the varied questions of the mind
and by the general consent of mankind Is pronounced
the seat of our pleasures grefs sy,npathies hares
and love- Persons have frequently dropped down dead
from the vehemence with which it contracts expands
upon the sudden announcement of good bad news
it's MUSCULAR walls being strained far in the upward
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