An essay on indigestion, or, Morbid sensibility of the stomach & bowels, as the proximate cause or characteristic condition of dyspepsy ... / by James Johnson.

  • Johnson James, 1777-1845.
Date:
1840
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An essay on indigestion, or, Morbid sensibility of the stomach & bowels, as the proximate cause or characteristic condition of dyspepsy ... / by James Johnson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    DIFFERENT KINDS OF SENSIBILITY. will be presently seen, it is necessary to make a few physiological observations. In the nervous system wTe distinguish two great classes of nerves— those which take their origin from the brain and spinal-marrow—and those which are called the ganglionic nerves. The former transmit sensations to the sensorium, or organ of the mind, and nervous in- fluence to the voluntary muscles—the latter regulate the functions of various vital and other organs, as those of the stomach, liver, heart, &c. It is in the first class of nerves that we find the common sensibility of touch, and also the other senses, as sight, hearing, smelling, and tasting. These nerves of sense teach us, at once, that special or particular kinds of sensibility only are possessed by particular nerves. The optic nerve is only sensible to light, and will not convey the sense of touch; hearing, tasting, or smelling. The eye, in a state of health, may be touched by the finger, and hardly a sensation will be excited; but let the same organ be inflamed, or irritated, and then the most painful sensation will be produced by the slightest touch. In the same way, the cartilaginous surfaces and the lining membranes of the joints are endued with a peculiar, or special, and not a common sensibility. They feel not the friction produced by even violent motion; but let in- flammation or irritation take place in these parts, and then the peculiar, unconscious, or what may be termed organic sensibility will be raised or changed into common or even morbid sensibility, and the slightest mo- tion will be attended with exquisite pain. Again, the auditory nerve receives no impression from light, or any thing but sound. The nerves distributed over the body for touch, will not convey any other impres- sion than that which is peculiar to their office.—Whenever the proper stimulus is applied to any of these nerves, w'e are conscious of the im- pression, at least while we are awake. Now the ganglionic nerves have their peculiar offices and stimuli, as well as the cerebro- spinal nerves—but with this great difference, that we are quite unconscious of the impressions made on them, so long as these impressions are within the range of salutary action. The stomach is as sensible to the stimulus of food as the eye is to light, but we feel nothing of the impression. Let any one attentively observe when he. eats plain food, or swallows plain drink. He feels both of these in his mouth and palate; but the moment that either of them passes down into the stomach, he is quite unconscious of its presence in that organ. It is so with all the other internal organs. The lungs feel the air, but we are not conscious of its presence in the air-cells—the heart feels the stimulus of blood, without our knowledge—the gall-bladder is sensible to the presence of bile—the- intestines to chyme and to faeces—the b 2