The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1873-06-21
THE DIGESTIVE APPARATUS.

|
ones self:
! 1t has rightly been said that The
greatest object of study for man is man
| himself; this is true in Il physical rs
well rs in u moral sense. Tho human
| body, indeed, is almost Il universe in
| Itself, including many kinds of physical
! apparatus, statical, dynamical, optical,
hydraulic, chemical, electrical, etc. The
system of bones and muscles gives an
example of tho most perfect statical
and dynamical arrangement; the heart,
arteries, etc, of an admirable system
of hydraulic contrivances; the digestive
apparatus is 4 most complete chemical
laboratory in itself, by which the ma
tcrial called food is mctamorphoscu i'll
to the living tissue of which man con-
siStS. We have, on Il former occasion ,
glanced over the most striking features
of mans hydraulic system, OF which
the heart is the main organ let us now
take \ glance at the chemical laboratory
which We carry with us, of which the
stomach is the main organ, and which,
as we'll Us the circulation of the blood
is carried OH inccSs:,ntiy, indepcnltfy
of our will and, when perfect, oven
without our knowledge.
The stomach is only one of the or.:tilS
1 I,
indeed, commences in the mouth and
extends nearly throughout The whole
lcngth of the sr-callcd alimrnturN canal
which is about twenty-five feet long,
and presents IL surface, to be acted upon
by the food, of some 900 square inches.
In the mouth the food undcrYOrs two
operations, ono mechanical and another
chemical. The movements OF the teeth,
aided by the tongue, grind it mp into
small particles Of proper size, while
the simultaneous intrrmiNturr of the
liquids Sccr"tcd from three pair OF saii-
vary glands constitute the first chCmi-
cal operation. Coated with Il Slary
juice, the food passes along tho u,Sopha-
gus into tho stomach (Which is only IN
expansion between tho ,rsophagus and
the uuodcum); this consists of three
coats, one mucuous, one muscular, and
one scrous, which is exterior. Tho in
terror or mucous coat has a VClVcty
and folded in wrinkles. so
as to admit of much extension. When
thus extended, certain appcndagcs arc
and sccrctc thrcc more
liquids required for digestion. They
are tho gastric, pancrcatic, and hilary
juices.
The chemistry Of these different
d -.
during our time, been most minutcly
The saliva consists of a
mixture Of liquids, which differ for
each Of the three pairs Of glands from
which they originate; to these Il fourth
liquid is added, the buccal, proceeding
from tho lining membrane of the whole
this mixture has the capacity
of changing starch into grape sugar
and, further, into Tactic acid, which is
essential to normal digestion. At the
same time, tho atmospheric Oxygen is
cntanglcd i'll the saliva during mastica-
ton, and cHcrts an important influence
i'll promoting the action of the saliva
and gastric juice in the stomach
The practical lesson which we draw |
from these we'll established facts arc
most important in hygicnic point of
view. 1t deeply imrrcsscs us with the
importance of well chewing our food,
and with the injury which We do our
selves by eating hastily, by washing
down inlperfrctly ,nasticatcu food with |
water, tea, coffee, OF something worse,
and (Which is the most Injurious of AID |
by induISing i'll the bad habit of split
ing, and thus Intentionally wasting one
of the main substances required for It
healthy digestion. The result of the
latter habit is II reduced quantity of
urine Secretel by the kidneys, and :;
increase of the saline ingrc-
iicntS i'll the saliva, the salivary glands
being thus induced to take up part Of
the functions of the kidneys and, :is
DIR. John w. Draper very forcibly re
marks, the dirty habit Of prnluSc split
ing results i'll "a partial conversion OF
the mouth into an urinary aIucdurt.'
Another important fact has been dis
by physiologist>-, namely, that
the saliva of an infant, before il has its
teeth, is incapable of converting starch
into sugar. This explains at one" why
all attempts of substituting ElrinnccnuS
food in place of mothers milk, in the
case of infants, invariably fail such
children cannot digest starch, and arc
undcrlcd, or even starved, dying finally
Of marnsnus. Starch, arroWroot sago,
tOpiOca, etc, are useless, because in,i-
gcStiblc, for children before they have
cut their teeth.
The gastric juice, which il the priu-
cipal ingredient for digestion, consists
chiefly of the solution of u substance
which has been called pcpSin, and is
remark able from the fact that it con
tains nearly two per cent. OF nitrogen, Il
larger amount than amy other SubSt;tnC"