Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1888-03-23
PHYSIOLOGY.
Why Should it be Taught in the
Public Schools 2
rAPER on THE sUBJEcT BY PROF. 8. NJ.
DICK, FEB. %. 'SS.


FELLOW TEACHERS The subject o.
Physiology and Physiological effects o
narcotics on the human system is now un
dergoing agitation in almost every stat,
and territory in thesunion, and Mt present
thiriy-two staies and territories have made
II compulsory to teach Phr-inlogy and ,hc
dangerous effects Of narcotics ON the sys-
tenn.
In presenting this subject to the teach
ers OF this convention, wish to call your
attention 10 some Of the fundamental rea-
sons for sucl teaching. There ia Just Ms
much economy in taking care of the house
In which you live or keeping up the farm
which You own, as these Is in laboring
faithfully nnd saving carefully the hard
earned wages in order to secure material
out OF which TO bnill your house, or To
procure means with which TO purchase
your farm. The same principle hold. good
with respect TO this physical frame which
practically constitutes the house in which
we live.
| III You know how to take care of the
physical system; you must know something
OF the structure of the principal organs,
their functions, what they are able to bear
and the effects OF external substance intro.
duced into the system. The corner stone
OF this physical building of ours is the cell;
and the typical fundamental cell and its
properties may best be studied under the
name Of the Amoeba, as II is known TO
biologists the Amoeba is an undifferen-
tiated mass of protoplasm, and in some
form OF It's development continues the fun.
damental structure of every tissue in the
oody. All the functions that may he as
cribed to the Amoeba belonging TO the cell
IN the human body; they are as follows ::
lst. Contractile, I'd. Irritable and auto
matte, 3id. Receptive and assimilative,
4th. Metabolic and secretory. 9th. Re-
spiratoiy, 9th. Reproductive. Any sub
stance that prevents the free action of the
cells in any of those capacities or over taxes
them in any one application OF their power
is injurious and harmful to the system.
Each tissue in. the body is a tissue parex-
cellence contractile, irritable, metabollc
etc., according as il is developed and needs
that psrexcellent quality 10 order TO per-
form the functions of that tissue. For ex.
ample muscle must be contractile 10 do
lhe work of muscle, a nerve irritable or
lat cell metabolic. This body in its me.
chanical structure is machine used to
carry out. the dictates of the psychal man,
1t is just as necessary to keep this machine
in perfect running order as it is to keep the
sewing machine, or the harvester in per
fect order. II we examine the liver we
find it has a two-fold function, secretiye
and excretive its principal setretions are
bile and glyco9en, and its principal excre-
ton kind of alcohol called cbolesterIn
that Is all the alcohol any man needs in
his system and the liver disposes of that as
fast as possible. Now il an oyer-amount
oil glycogen Is taken into the stomach an
over amount OF work is imposed upon the
liver 10 make use of it or else there is
surplus amount of sugar thrown INTO the
blood iOr the kidneys 10 dispose OF (; in eth
er case, il long continued, the result is fatal
TO health. In the first place the liver is
over burdened and breaks down Just as a
farm wagon breaks down when loaded
above Its ctpacity; and secondly the kid
neys fail in. like manner. Let us illustrate
the necessity OF knowing the kind of food
to take, and in what quantities 10 take III
il has been found by experiment that the
average healthy man uses about 1000 grs.
of carbon to every 300 grs. of nitrogen
these being the representative quantities
per day, but ii lie gets his 1000 grs. of C.
by taking albnmen lie must take about
1900 grs. and that supplies him with more
than HOO grs. OF n. or il lie gets his C.
by eating iatless meat il would REQUIRE
about four pounds TO furnish him with the
required amount while one pounI would
be sufficient to furnishIall the N. necessary.
III this extra amount OF unnecessary food
is taken into the stomach it costs the dl-
gestlve apparatus great deal Of extra
work TO try 10 break it up and digest ii,
and the excre,ory organs great deal of
work 10 reject it and cast il off from the
body. When such is the irregulation oi
the food, the kidney whose duty 1t is 10
reject the greater part Of this 800 grs. Of
surplus N. faithful to the function-::as-
signed to il by nature casts il of day by
day until under incessant ioil il breaks
down and you find yoursalf complaining
because you cannot be cured OF "Brights
disease or Diabetes" Since then AN organ
can lie worked 10 death rs we'll as poisoned
to death 1t is n matter of prime Importance
that every boy and every girl IN this com
try know how to Regulate his food, and
know wha, influence any External substance
will have when taken into The stomach,
Let us next consider the workings Of the
hearl. This organ though small ms it il, is
one Of The most powerful organs in the
body. In its mechanical action il consti-
iu'eS iorce pump, which aided by the
elasticity of the artery walls succeeds III
driving the blood to all parts OF the body,
constantly keeping the various tissues bail,
ed in fresh hloud from which they receive
thsir strength and vitality. E,ch ventri-
Gle oil the heart has 4 capacity of abou, 6 Z.
OF blooi, aud indeed they each contain ex
aclly the same quantity, for suppose the
left ventricle gave out a small quantity of
blood more each beat than the right, IT is
clear that in very short time the entire
mas Of blood would be in the syste mic
circulation, aud the pnlminary circulation
would be wanting, and il the right ventri-
Gle were the larger by a. little the result
would be vice verse.
The amount OF work done by the heart
In single day seems at first almost in
IA. al,