The Democrat-sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1906-1935, 1908-04-09
Home Talk on Constipa-
ton.
WORD ana works.1

Let the head Of the body be repre-
sented by the great city hall,
which ought to contain the brains,
but which alas, in many cities
is sadly lacking in this par
ticular. The telegraph and tele
phone wires, rnmifying every part
of the city without any very grent
stretch of the imagination, well
represent the nerves of the body.
! The public squares and parks
which are called the city $
"breathing places, " can very prop
erly represent the lungs OF the
body. The broad streets and
boulevards which are called the
"arteries OF trade" carrying sus-
tenance to the people, can very
aptly represent the arteries, while
the alleys, (by which the debris
and refuse is carted away and in
some cases, refined and purified
and brought back again to add to
the supply products) are the veins
Of the body. The great central
pumping station which forces
water (instead of blood) through
its mains, viii remind you forcibly
of the heart. And the great high
ways leading out into the sur
rounding country will answer for
the extended arms and legs of the
body. Thus, you have the man
like city standing up before you,
but we have left the most striking
similitude for the last, the city's
tsewser system, of which the ali
mentary canal OF. the human body
IS typical and is often spoken of
as the "sewer of the body" The
alimentary canal is about 30 feet
long, lined throughout by mucous
membrane. Although we have
seemingly digressed from our sub
ect, we have at last reached it
again, for we think that constipa-
tion can not be properly under
stood without some knowledge of
the aliment0ry canal. This canal,
though lined by mucous mem
brane, is enyeloped by n musculo
membranous sheath. In this
sheath or canal, IN the beginning
we have the mouth, pharynx,
oesophagus and stomach, small in
testines and large intestines. As
accessory organs, we have the
teeth, for the maStication or dis
Indignation of the food, the sail
vary glands, parotid, submaXilary
and sublingual, then the liver,
pancreas and spleen, The food
being properly masticated and
mixed with the secretions of the
salivary glands, passes the pharynx
and is swallowed by the oesopha-
gus and is passed into the stom-
ach, the chemical laboratory of
digestion, in this organ the reduc-
tion and solution of the food take
place, passing on into the small
intestines, the food is mixed with
the bile and pancreutic fluid, the
nutritive principles of the food
(the chylo) are separated from
that portion which passes into the
large intestine and which is ex-
PEELED from the system. Through
out the entire course of the canal,
small glands are situated which
act as little scavengers, sucking
up from the mass any remnant of
nutrition and passing it back into
the general supply. This provi-
sion Of nature makes it possible to
maintain the patients strength
for a considerable time by rectal
feeding whenever it is necessary
to give the stomach rest, or from
it is unable to retain food.
In the treatment of constipation
1t is necessary to take into consid-
Grafton the modus operandi of the
entire intestinal tract and the ad-
visor who does not do so, but sat
siies himself with saying "take
dose Of castor oil or so and SO
pills, is not doing justice to the
patient. Beginning Mt the mouth,
see that the teeth are in order,
hat the food is properly masticat-
I'd and instruct the patient to chew
lis food slowly and not bolt it
lown Gas the manner of some is"
rhe tongue should be closely
and if it is found to
20 glazed, or bright red, or the