The organic laws, or, The laws which govern the human organism / by J. Bradford Sax.

  • Sax, J. Bradford.
Date:
1851
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The organic laws, or, The laws which govern the human organism / by J. Bradford Sax. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    could not perfectly assimilate the crude material, nor prevent it from becoming putrid either before or after assimilation ; hence the lungs would inevitably become diseased. But the stomach, by virtue of its superior vitality, might better assimilate the imperfect chyle, and preserve it from decomposition; hence for a time it might remain healthy.—Paradoxical as the assertion may seem, the stomach may for a time remain comparatively healthy, because the lungs or some other organ is diseased. Flesh-eating, by its exciting or stimulating properties, produces nervous irritation, or diseased nervous action. This may centre in one organ or another. Suppose it manifests itself in the lungs ? Then they will become the seat of disease, which will operate as a kind of safetij valve to protect the rest of the body. It is upon this principle that diseases are cured by means of counter-irritants, such as seatons, blisters, etc. Biles are natural counter-irritants. By withdrawing the nervous irritation, or dis- eased action, to another part, they relieve the affected organ and suffer it to recover. So diseased lungs, or other organs, by dravv- ing off the diseased action which is constantly manufactured in the stomach, by the digestion of improper food, may for awhile protect that organ and keep it in comparative health ; just as the weaker parts of a steam-boiler, by bursting, would protect and pre- serve the stronger parts. But this protection can only last as long as the function of the diseased organ, especially if a vital one, is- tolerably well performed. If the lungs should become so much diseased as not to perforin their function, the blood would speedily become so impure as to destroy the stomach and the life of the person. Now, in the case of flesh-eating, the person is sure it does not hurt him, because it agrees with his stomach; that is, the stomach has been so much depraved that its instincts and sensibilities will not warn him of danger; and is not so much diseased but that it will perform its function without difficulty: although he may have distressing asthma, bronchitis, or some other disease. In this case the diseased action which is constantly produced by im- proper food, in the way we have mentioned, is the fuel which feeds the raging fires of disease in the lungs or other organs. But yet the person .cannot see how flesh and grease-eating can 4#