Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1873-08-28
THE NERVOUS SYSTEM.

In many particulars, an animal and
plant resemble each other Both have life
and both grow from food received from with
out The manner of receiving the food is
different; but the manner Of growth is the
same. The plant receives its food mainly
from the ground This food is taken up by
the roots and carried by little vessels to every
part of the plant.
The food of an animal is taken into the
mouth and conveyed down the throat into
the stomach, where it undergoes change, and
is then taken up by little vessels and carried
to every part of the body. Both plant and
an animal breathe. Place an animal in a
room in which there is no air, and it will soon
die. The same is true of plant. 1t must
have air in order togrow and flourish. Both
an animal and plant must have light and
heat. A plant grown in dark cellar does
not possess that living green that one grown
in the sun has; and man shut up in dark
room soon becomes pale, weak and sickly.
Without rain plants soon parch and die. No
vegetation can take place without moisture
neither can man or any other animal live
long without water.
Plants and animals resemble each other in
so many respects that it might be thought
that there is really no difference. This is not
the case. There are as many important diff
ferences between plants and animals, as there
are resemblances. The essential difference,
however, between plants and animals, is what
is called the nervous system. Plants never
move from the place where they spring up,
unless they are moved by some one. When
an acorn falls from tree, there it lies, and
there it germinates, and there The tree grows.
The tree has no power to change its position
This is not the case with animals. There are
many persons in America who were born in
Europe. Animals are constantly changing
their position. Some walk and others fly,
whilst others again swim. If we strike an
animal blow with an axe, we inhict upon it
an injury, and cause it acute pain and long
period of suffering. This is not the case with
plants. The ax.man cuts down tree after
tree and not moan is uttered by the forest,
because not pang is felt. Plants can neither
move nor feel The reason of this is they
have no nervous system. Whatever other
differences may exist between an animal and
a plant, the functions which are performed by
means of this system, constitutes the main
difference between animal life and vegetable
life
In an animal, there are two kinds of nerves,
or rather the nervous system subserves two
fold purpose. There are nerves Of motion
and there are nerves of sensation. Strictly
speaking, the nerves do not cause either mo.
ton or sensation. The nerves of the bodies
of animals are the muscles. When an ami
NAL moves, there is an alternate shortening
and lengthening of certain muscles. We do
not see with the nerve of the eye, but with
the eye ITSELF
In the human family the nervous system is
very complex, and in many persons very
easily deranged. There is no disease more
dangerous, and none more difficult to treat,
than general giving way of the nervous sys-
tenn.
Between the nerves of sensation and the
nerves of motion, there is no doubt connec-
tion but the one may exist without the
other. An animal may be able to feel, and
yet not able to move; or it may be able to
move and not able to feel. A limb, an arm
for example, in which both the nerves of SEN
sation and motion were destroyed, would be
palsied; but it might still live. 1t would de-
crease greatly in size, but not necessarily die.
The nerves are exceedingly small threads of
grey color. These threads are so small
that they cannot be discovered by the naked
eye. Their origin is the brain, and they ter
inmate in the different parts of the body for
which they are designed. So completely do
the nerves of sensation cover the body, that
it is impossible to puncture the body in any
part and not produce pain. In no place on
the body can the point of the finest needle be
put down and not touch one Of the nerves of
sensation. Attached to every muscle and
organ is nerve, and each one does its own
appropriate work. There is the nerve of the
eye, the nerve of the ear, the nerve of the
tongue, the nerve of the nose, and the nerves
of touch. In each tooth there is bundle of
these little threads. When the tooth becomes
decayed, and the nerve becomes exposed,
then we experience that acute pain which is
called tooth-ache. The hard substance which
we call the tooth, does not give us pain. IT
may be sawed and filed and cause US no acute
pain.
In the construction of the nervous system
we see the wisdom and goodness of our Ma
ker. If man had no nerves Of motion, he
would remain stationary like a tree and had
he no nerves of sensation, he would be as in
sensible of what is going on around him as a
stone.
TELLING LIE WITH A FINGER.-A little
boy for trick pointed with his finger to the
wrong road when man asked him which
way the doctor went. AS result, the man
missed the doctor, and his little boy died, be-
cause the doctor came too late to take fish
bone from his throat. At the funeral, the
minister said that the boy was killed by lie
which another boy told with his finger.
81 suppose" says Uncle John, "that the
bow did not know the mischief he did. Oi
course, nobody thinks he meant to kill lit
tie boy when he pointed the wrong way. He
only wanted to have little fun, but it was
fun that cost somebody great deal and il
he ever heard of the results of it, he must
have felt guilty of doing mean and wicked
thing. We ought never to trifie with the