iilliiiW
1
I TERMS.
VVATcriMiif .mar hereafter be had for
ff&LVad Fifty Cciitsper yea?.-
2L !n atMcriaer- who will
-Sceltie whoteaaa at one payment,
.TtL J;- rtnAtTear at Two Doj-
ll- ..r t n invinmr U1B BUM
!& rl1. . f A ak.i onm At
. aa inn? as we oaiuw viow
HiftSM U terrns shall continue,
iSSMrii1 be dhsusfd at !hcr 8 "
.u-iho Ja notpW doling the 'year
M"i?ua- nJlara in al cases.
wM bV discootUued tt at thepj
;PtSto ODless llj arrearges-are pard
tf' ill liters Ui the Editor nwst be posi
feMse theyWill Mainly net be at-
tfi w - ;1 i -. . -I.' .
o$- AovKRTisiiip-Fity CenV
&liie trt '(naeHwA and Twenty f ice
v5" 'jariisfimeni win ue iuwu
?.!I.iitswillbe co$iinned until orders
piiakm them, inhere no direction?
p semenwby toe y ear or hi biu"
P.i.ita Dollar perroonih for each sonae
7.nrivile2e of changing the form every
?t5e S0RG EON 0ENERAL OF
XHEStATE OF NpTORki
fewbyjni, he knowjs all things An
Irbenot the devil himself we may thank
lleofEUtWome ! to give thy due, !
Ifrcedonfan Fredeand Fredon' too
MlMiiordoflgrarjiteflmU, ,
tjctcf, ii'law--and wholesome dishes;
ffjtecuirorthe patent splints, j .
! The toe of whales-jrthe; friend of fishes ;
iflraodus'l Septop ''phlogobombosPt
i What tiilelsliau we nna to nt ye i
:quisitor of sprats 'and compost !
OfiargeoB-generaiipi minua :, A
f t hail thes ! mammoth f the state !
$ieao Frigate I on the waves of physic
lyi&'itt practice or debate,
To core te nation or the phthisic. -b
amateuil of Tartar dofs ! :
Wheal-flies, and maggots that create
V:-:;,.;.Cni.;l!.- ; - 1". ,
(Kinomiaies;l.and of mummy-chogs I:
. Of bricHbats-lotteries and pomatum 1
Sutlers ro how low ori high it is,
Tkoo' knciw'st each Hill arid vale
Of
iinow4edgev j .-
Ffll3jorfory-nine societies i
iad ecturer in Dayids 'College
M waeo thoa diest-(foi life is brief !)
Thynamesin all its gathered glory,
Shall shine immortal as the leaf
OfDcisglJiatf Repository.
' ' C&OAKCR&Co.
-1 ; i ' ' ' ' '
aBSTRAC OF THE SURGEON
,, GENERAL REPORT.
Srjwn General by brevet
ma zeal for public service burning,
pints this alliappy ttme v get
iwther chance to show his learning :
11 to in consequence coljected
MuliattqlUiQs'-:perfece.d ' ;
ae Hopes o snine-r-anojso rtporu ; (
Ithilehas Searched authorities .
From Jobnson down la Asli and Shelly,
iwhds that a militia is-p J
biDoWlhe is about to tell ye
MiiiUManauch citizens f
A ea inpeace are kept campaigning,
DIUnt souls that shoulder guns I
rAfiil ttriceayear go outa training.
tnt e)ng fix'd
v..
ms mncl T tlilnt -
nr.;: ! : -
Proceed unto the second
part,
prwziakind of drink, sir.
ich by its action on the heart,
mea so brave they dare attack
ugo at its angle salient ;
a wejf established fact
Ite very proverb says-ro valiant
define it in a minute
Taie
iif.jjumV nhtskey-of..peach bran-1
CV. i i -
-DGta little
water in it,
preciiely fixM what grog is,
JJ Kasf IBDg, sir, that question sett!
. rntst asrprtiin wli.nt noff is-
ttles' I
'J mix ascertain what prog is
aiaf W.iatV j v . J -L 'z- 7..-..L
.. r-- t'iugt!m vulvar on rase, is vicvuaui
f Will .mttMu .111 b.n.l2 nf f,vw
M ihe smoking board can charm
iy digestion furnish blood ;
ithln
S essentuLin an army I
. p wnf shall all be swallowed warm,
Cnjjgestion much facilitates ;
. I . . - . .f ; kt KKA.& liailU
r,0,c ayg, sir, debilitates. I
?wWis.tbiise.ss'it --.'K
i
A
5 them daily from ilie last
Ss pf mv cobkervibeoks! I
, ,
d likewise into
.-
V-
Ceoaxxr ii. Co.4
US lla.. - : aft . ' mrm. '
conntryeat
Cake Joat i
pher i 4A if ? learnec
ikl we steam shin, nnon
-Tiaff iinWi.L. j . . J , .7 r r
I: qAfiTT uHn6luie ute wax.
255: -:::: ' 1 - , I Trblhe Lbndoa EIclropoIiia,
I tier. .. -!l ;- rMl,
ii i I I I I
rffuatiiirrQinOW nnderstand me sctncejoi life ui vegeiaoies. uut tne term pny were uot aiiuuve oeeeM weiu r auu wuai
inUia Mhathould khe snirit siolyjnomorideniiies ihe science of life than are the assimilating r nutritive processes or ac-
-BeteftA ;L ' ' i it does iheseience of picking pot-kt8. It means Hon but those action or changes wrought on
tiwl fif 8Dmef careies theiic;nceluf naiare and it is as strictly ap- the food, by which its alliance lo the body is
hi ' T W0 ' hear it 1 plicable to the laws which govern inanimate urawn closer Sand closer, until ibeyj beeutne i-
: flaia water and nolgrpg. . matter as ul those which reeulaie the actioos of deniical ? And so it is corrrci to say, that the
ON
4
lTTI&l TO BROTDERJOIIN. NO. III.
(Continued.) t
lapel Churchyard! I5tb March
iissc.
lear John. -. .
I hare already described to you as much
of; the uructora iof the body as I believed
neeessarid order to enable you to undei-
stand th! nature of the several actions which
are perpetually going on wimm tnai siruc-
ture: i it? is
of these actions ! that 1 nave
noyv td5pe,ak. Bat previously to a! descrip
tion of the actions pecoljar to living beings,
it seems proper to devote a few moments
to an I iriquiry into the nature of life it
aclf jl ': ' i .I
Writers on physiology are acctfslomed
to ehumerte the several distinctive differ
ences Vtnch separate the organic ifrnm the
inorganic kingdom or nature. I bese4 are
general! speaking, well jtnarked and suffi
cieiiilf understood by almost every ne; al-
tbodgb almost every one might not proba-
bly be ab'e to give a .scientific relation of
themJ; $6 dwell upon these, therefore,
would, bp foreign jlp my present purpose.
But there are a few characteristics of organ
ic matterj of such vast and immediate im-
portanc4to all that. relates to the preserva
tion of health, that;! must not omit to take
especial;hote of t(iem." 1 j
One of the few attributes' I shal
men-
tion as I peculiar to organized ma tter is
deatB.f-- ! " :p
DeathpHhe dunnest of all duns,' death,
'Sole creditor, whose process dotb involve
l I ijvt . -I.
The jiik of finding every .body solvent,'
has beW so often personifiedsometimes
indeed as i ; j.
A consummation devoutly to be wished,'
but far rpore frequently as something horri
ble some gaunt gourmand, who ig, by
every1 riiians, to be ; eschewed, that we are
,apt to qpntemplate it as though it were a
real entiy- a sort ot "raw-head-and-bloody-bones,"
wliose chief amusement consists in
stop (iirl folk's breath, liut 1 need not tell
you l.hatjthis is mere rhetorical delusion
one of the poet's 'fine frenzies.' Death is
a sheer iabstraction, the mere cessation of
life., Alfthe cessation of sound is called L
sdence, jas the cessation of motion is called
rest, so h4 cessation of life is called death-
Deathvhereftre, being only the abstraction
of life, t is manifest that things which nev-
er liiedjcab dever die. v
Another condition occnliar and nprpniarv
to all mltter intended to lice is organism
me co(surnjnauori result oi organisation.
Orgahisin, in the common sense, is that state
ui ca.i5ucuwu in which inn eicmiumwnpn
smg th4 germs of matter inttnjhd to live
are held together by a property, wjiich miy
be callel vital affinity or the affinity of . vh
talityl a properly which enables it to resist
the ordinary agencies of chemical a trinities
to wHipi pommon matter is subjected. A
seed isjahjjnstance in which a germ qf
matter intended to live (lor a seed does not
live il nierelv possesses vitality, or the ap-
tilude to liye) ' preserves lU integrity in vir-
tue uTilhfcJvttal- affinity, and in defiancel
of the poinmon chemical agencies. A mel
5J - b y . I-
on seed a hundred years o d wil prow if
planted in a proper soil.
But jhe term orgonism is not only used
to iridrcate a peculiar condition of the ele
ments pf riiatter, but also a oculiar condi-
tion oil masses of matter Here it signifies
that stite of existence in which masses of
matter!grepand preserve their integrity by
virtue S'a; ower which may he said to
conslstfjn the .affinities of assimilation a
power:wirtnlrawing them from the indu-
enedfojf common ckemicle agqriries until
theV Shall have accrmrilished the final caiisK
of their -orgoi9tion a poorer enabling
tnem lit assimilate other matter their own
natureiand substance.t I
Atiether most important characteristic of
living iialter is its conrcciify.tbat is, not I
3 t
Fhsio;
is i an exceeding" improper term.
It is Used" bV the moderns to siirnifw the science
of life'tiinpayiibfoy being osd fur the
science w men pa la oi me lite ot annuals, ano
vegetable phvsiolotni betas anpropria'ed to the
PQPyLAR INFORMATION ;
ffHE ilUAlAN SY.STEM:
.44. I. 1 1
ufiteci
lire
regulate the actioos oil
ertce nehich ciKisist9 in a knim ledsd .f the laws
y lW B,,u UOiIng regara to tne
meoi
vegetables, the term should be phy to 2mi
which means tbe science which makes os
acquainted ; with the laws of plant life, that is,
etS plarys. M 1 he endless tctrudaction of
echmcal terms on every frivolous pre -
living beings. The term, with regard to animal I proximate attune of orgauic germs are itU tae
life, Should beanunomy, which 6i?nifi8 thitsci- I iher by tilot affioity, lor this is not equivalent
tenc4,';fay8 Dr. Fletcher, (a new star in tbe J life resaltmgjtrom the seed has, therefore, neces
iatrohilusophical firmament, and a bright one I tarUy for its carue the lite of which that seed
too seems aoapiea raucn less to oenent man
to injure Ihe cause of phylosnnhy True: but
wheh the introdocuoo is no endless, and the
pretinc: nbrfrivuloos, aa exactly opposite re -
suit Vill accrde. JSothin? bas tended so mocb
to mystify science and obstruct its progress as
the Unsettled I slate of the exact meanings of
worcs. i Words are, throogb ideas, toe signs ot
things, and if ena word be used indiscriminate-
It as ilie sin of several things, how is the rea-
s ' ,-.... . . ... .
derto know which thing of the several the wii-
self taken occtsion elsewhere to complain, and
ter cesires to inmcaie w ur. r teicoer nas mm -
uiaLiouoiT. oi wis improper luoiscnuuuaw
. .a. .. - t; i . . . .. " -
i -
-4-1 1 v Pli Besides, in everrer
filt ll t-iU rrtfftMlI thaaaarmnaUnwIinar: (whether animal r VMn.taM . U . ...
J processes by the term of f affiniUes of assimila-
J ion iFor-what la affinity but an alluoce or
1 t: -ai. , s. .u A. t..:
l i -ana is wwxo no 'muh
1 the food seethe body which it noarisbea ? is
rwlwfrihnimtptnber oil contracting
it is the being ahjt to contract f i i
? Not?; Indian robber or t steel spring may
be said to bo Me' to contract. " But tben
the one of these j car) only do fter baving
been put iipon tbe jrefcA. arid the! other
onlr having 'been bent. ' Thev " can only
contract aflerttTinff Jeeo putimto'ih un J
natural coadtioo. Tfa their natural condi-1
Uon tbey are, like til other iuorganic mat-
ter. at rest; and can neither contract, or ex-1
oand. nor Idilate. Without beimrlfirst submiU I
tea to me action oi jnecAajucMor caciaicstituv cuuuucssuvaisn oi oiownowiug aiong
lorce. iui f living aaim, , v w mimw
more than this.' Vheb arierfct iff and
in its natural state, it - can contract shrink, I
. - . -; i . i ' ' I
in sborL oeriorm SDOCtancousi movememsiuivvu-ou to periorm. .yji is on r an
merely oni being excited, stimulated, or ir-
ritated, and without the agency of any me-
chanical or chemical power.' ; It does this
by virtue'of a property called contractility-
When you Jbok at a very strong -light, the
irLs the coloured part of the eye, being ir-
ritated by jthe rays of this strong light, con-
rrccfs.and almost closes the npil jnhat is
the black spot in the eye, which is. in fact,
a round hole. VVhen your will directsyour
arm to move, the muscles of the arm, stim"
ulated, that i? excited by yonr will, contract
and raise the arraj accordingly, j When the
blood rushes into the right side of your
heart, that-pait of the heart contracts- and
pushes it: into the left side?: then the
left Side ' contracts, and pushes' it into
the aortoMhen the aofto confracrt and push-
es it onward; and soon, f All these con tac-
tions coul() ntit, of course, be executed, if
it were not for the property of contractility
that is, the ability to contract.
Now, all the motions of toe different
parts of the body without andjwithin, are
performed by tbeie eonrrctcttons and by vir-
tue of this contractility. It is the main-
spring of the watch it is the! chiej wheel
in the machine it is the principal beam
the main prop of the building. By it we
gather our food by it we eat by it we
swallow.it by it the stomach sends it on
to the bowels.- From the bowels it is car-
ried to the heart by it and by it. having
become blood, it is circulated through the
body, for whose nouiishrnent it is destined, produce musical sounds, jFor instance, if him they may be driven even to death like
Every time your watch ticks, they say, there you were to fill the body of; paganini'S best him they require rest and repose. Do not
is ono human being born and one human fiddle with sand, and soak ts strings m tal- therefore be led to undervalue the import
being peiiahed in some part of the world low Paganini might go mad perhaps, but ance of these properties, because of the
qr other.. But the human microcosm, in
that little lnsiff.iiticent world, called man, I
every tune his watch ticks there are. millions
Qf molecules of the old bodv dissolved and
carried away, and their places supplied -by -
a8 manv millions of new; and allthis mainly
depends upon this important property of
contiactility; Whenever, therefore, I use
tbe term contractility, you will know that I
mean the oower. bv virtue of which the
several parts of tbe body are able to move,
and perforin those actions which are proper I
to them. J
A third property distinguishing organ- condition necessary to' lifejis organism
ised from inorganlaerr matter Tyerrattnnty fiWrU tt.cond i vitality, or
This is exceedingly slippery ground, arid thatjcondition or manner jojf existence he
rendered still moid dangerous by the dark- cessary to. the prod in tion of living ac
ness in wliich it is enveloped. I shall, tioni thaVs the mutuality, or that .par
therefore, hasten off the ice as quickly as ticul.tr mode of a fiddlers existence neces-
possible, lest some invisible straw or other
should trip up my heels. I
Urntatio,' isays Glisson, est perceptio, sed
sensatio est berceptio perceptionis:' that is,
"irruauun is perception, out s-nsiiion is me
perception of a perception.' Sid I uot it
. j . fc : - I
waj slipuerv croundf But Dr. Fletcher,
sneakma of ihia tiriniiirtn of filinn. aava I
lor either terseness or accuracy it cannot 1
--: - . " J I
. i.. U. : j i . 'n - i i I
k u m i mmi in 1 111 111 - a mm mm 1111 ur u vmb- 1
confess, has vtry much the anoearance. not I
of splitting a h nr. that's but a trifle. hut
of splitting the very ghost of a han, which
,! " trine. I Lohstein djhnrs sensibility as
lacuUatero sliuiiilum percipumd.;7 that is,
the faculty of perceiving a stimulus. You
probably know that smy thing which irri-
tales or eices any part 01 the bo ty to ac-
lion is calicj a stimulus. . I think Lohstein
is right. Tpus the heart, by virtue of its'
contractility, has the power of contracting;
out it is by virtue of its sensibility that it
perceives life, proper moment for exerting
perceives the . proper moment lor exerting
power the precise when to contact ;
v,z: wnen Me b,0'd stiinulaUs it by itspres
ence as it rushes into its cavities, i Senstbil
ity, Iheiefore, is that property of organised
matter, bv (which it becomes aware of an
impressing cause by winch it perceives
. . 5. .. .
when it is acted upon by a stimulus.
uenucai r auu so ii is corrrci to say
to saying vhej arts brought together by vital af
unuj. aossj wis wouiu oe to assign mis ai-
I tinny as the primary cause of life ; whereas, in
act, the primary cause qf tue is Lira ITSELF :
I fur in every ins anre lhesed is the product of a
I parent piaut. llie parent, therefore most have
1 u existence antecedent to the seed t and the
1 we proauci. ii joa ssk ma lor; tue cause
1 f the &-tlife, 1 an.wer jour qnestion by aoo-
I tber Whatsis the caose of gravitation ? of
1 chemical aflimty ? of matter in general ? of
1 creaikm itself t
I rvmn of the heathen
! all causes the Deitt
m i . ' . h ...
mem csnoot do larnea tne other way : it cannot
be said, that because ibe plant is always the pro-
doct ofa seed, that therefore the seed mint
a prior existence : for the seed is produced bv
the leaves flowers, 4pc.; and to suppose wat
i ccwwni ,o we piani wnicn nrodoeea
I ,k J -i.u . ' . .r ,
1 wuiu cju wiwo we ntanx. is la snn.
a - -
pose that thai leat-e snd M
the production of seed appears to be the final
caose of existence : and the end cannot exist
1 tka .ci t .vl
w--.- m, aus w, miu? w so acaiavea Do -
tore tne means nacesaary to achieve lw
iiutt.uui iun - cobcuu nrotnueu hainoa. rm nrmoii in .irtna -r i i nA H.f..itw m nnnenunmnr inai
philosopher Ihe cause of I irwUifi ,.nt.k.i.i. -..ti: t ...lj . :l:-u : ;n k.
cwwla Jrcald tbe hesxibQOtgGntstdin
to wouldj hp endOwedHrith contracting,
wit is tbejpower of actirigi lit H were: not
sJsd,,endowed-fwUH imiihiltiy. 0at tvj We
floorer of knowing $&&i?at fclmg
th$ presence' of a fstimtilfsj' Jphe several
stiiauli mij be likened to a number of mes-
tL. ( i- ; j . t. i ii..' it - i ... j
sfcogers'set but fiorn 4bekd, quarter8fi tbe
heart a wderi tbiell the several plrti of
the body ;ta,cn to ac and the rtcUif J are
the. -roads aloni , n hicb thev travel-rtbe
prjjjcjbal I Stimuli Within the ibodi betni
w i cuKiuci. -u wci
ethat tEis office -if atimubtioo iSjtirpruaId--sj hymn; day and night, in praise
manner of i means the mam duty which the j of the: goodness and power oI4 Him wbd
I I.. J 1. i ' r . I ' -
titioos office-only .one qf the numerous
obctionswhicb the blood performs!. jBe-
sides the blood, there is another remarkable
stiwulusanother messenger ?sent to ertaio
parts of tbe body to summoir them to action.
But it is sent,not fromAtheheart,but from the
brain, Tis o)'essener is Estrange, incom-
prehensible beingand his name is Will,
; Comparjog organised matter to simusi-
cal instrument, anJ its aptiiucle to act, u a.
live to that instrument's aptitude to sound
one might liken the stimulus offered by tbe
blood) to the perfociner whse' officii His
to play ifpon the fio'dle.' These two
properties, ! sensibility and contractility,
constitute vitality. ' 1 say vitality uot life.
And here allow me'tocaqtionyou against
falling into: the vulgar erroti of confounding
vitality with life, j The trm vitality no
more signifies life, than the wordySddife sig-
nifies mujtc. Vitality signifies, not life, but
Inability (if J may coin a word;) that lis,
the aptitude or Jitnesn to lire, as musicaltty,
(ifJ may be allowed to coin another world,)
would denote, not. music, but the aptittde
or fitness to give rise to rusical sounds,
Vitality is a secondary cause o necessary
conditi'm of organised master in order 'to
give rise to living actions, as musicality: is
a necessary condition in a fiddle, in order
to give rise to musical sounds, A 'fiddle
may be perfect in all its parts, and yet, for
want of this necessary condition, which 1
have called musicality. be wholly unable to
twenty ruganinis, or one ragamni with a
iweniy-ragauini power, whtch is the; same
thing, would not be able tq extract frOm
a single musicaltone. Wiiy? Because the
instrument would have lost hat ' necessary
condition which I call musicality the sand
and ftbe tallow have destrojyd it. n ca-
pull sed cerebrum non rjahetf' Which be-
ing interpreted into the vulgar tongtie for
the benefit of 'ears polite? jsiiznifieth. Inhere
lis the fiddle,, but where is its aptitude 1 to
discburse most excellent rusicV
1
will
make this clear in a mown! T
Arcl
sary; to the production of jmusical sounds
viz perfect freedom.froui sand and talhw
viz perfect freedom from sand and talhw.
and all other musical impediments. ;! And,
is we have just seen that a fiddle may exist
periect m u lis pans, BUju.yet oe wnony
destitute o ( ntustcaUly, arid therefore per-
tcctly unable to suiter soonit: so orfftniSed
' .1
mailer nav exist, and ret for want ufi'sitali.
iy be wholly unable to live. J know a man
J ; . - 1 T : . - '
u i a m mmw Minn n kill iviiiiviiiai iir iiiirifiiir
of a most fine and flourish
ng wen, situated
111 this wen were
on the bark of his head.
shven oil,: it would still, fir !a time, remain
periecuy organised but it could no longer
live. Why? Because ilj would have lost
its vitality 'that condition; necessary to life
which in this instance depended upon
-.
its
connexion with the man's bead. It would
have lost its contractility and; seostbilily
And again: as organism may exist iiwi
out vitality, so may vitajity without life,
Seeds are an example of fiif,f 1 A grain iof
mustard seed does not .live. 1 In itt there! is
1
nerther ..Jofonlno, flu.d, ,nd i, ii
Ul&ilS
tiQ,! ;
impossible for a moment to conceive the
existence oi me wimout ootn tnese tsut
it pbssesses the solitude the abilitv to live
that is vitality; and if yori plant it in a
proper soil, it actually tnfliye. and become
l ' . . . .i t - .1 i.. ! .1
iMMSMiiipri hoth of flu.rf fA motmh i A
gr.i of ,.d,;oi the coni. poil.g
neither organism nor vitaJijyf will remain a
grain of sand for ever plant it in what soil
you please. At least it can undergo nocbang-
es but such sa are niirelv chemical or me-
chanical. ' f ! .
Ti , T- i, 7
it organism; but merely a condition the
(att.er, necessary to the exisence Of the for-
mer. Life, then, being neither organism
nor vitality, what ig it?' j -
I Life, says Richerand. cdnsistsin tbe ag-
gregate of-those phenomefia! which j mani-
lest themselves in succession for a limited
time in organised beings J y.
; 'Life, says Dr. Fletcher, in one of the
.. t Ii iim ..'lis J ii..J...U.0,r0 ihol Ih t imnrw nir m up. nr ttmn.
most erudite, elegant, and lingenius works of all in order to produce the phenomena I becojie Organic, than it would instantly have be
that! ever tell from the press hfa consists of life. As to stimuli, whbnlyou consider I eon to be dwwwedagau( by virtoe of the
in the sum of the characteristic actions
I nviaiLfcciuc Himu i.' ' i nn lan nsnnii irtna
' : r ', " ' h " """f 1"M -v.mw
penectly consentaneous; with each pth-
er, and to them I have nothins to add Life,
Wfi death, is not an entity. It is merely
I an azsrecaxion ot ettect. H'o m what life
is, is only to enumerate afrl the actions
. w . -' i t
ir;T-.; w ivH.uisiaw mu at,
I ..tr7 . . wc6 wRauio noi ubij
i hiiK at l .... .. Li-i.t- J. ; i
molecular actions, as these invisible
a,ouon mrig the proximate molecules of
''oMer of, which he isSebmposea, snd
uJ l:. L; ? . , . -.t.
1 " auuiura is caecteo. v t IMO
m.... i Wl- I .uaviipu viitii, I flllllljiy BClcU UU tnOUlUCU ScnSB IU WlllUll (a w msu iu mb
BlMSErLr Phl ararn-1 i . L . j'Y . . J I . . . i it.
toj crganisa, contoctility,
eecabtlttyi
thecsrjnfe-xi tnd.-conlrjpeuli force?
snoVthe tntagonisaUon j of these brces br
each othet-wbat the motion f the hand
ofa watch to .the milling and its e.
lasUaty-i: 4the sum total numc.os ef.
fectOf-Whicb thes fouritUribotes of or
ganic natter;! above mentioned are the seJ
coodary, causes. Thesbleflecta we , call
living actions actions, the itcialityf which5
Ornnised malier is ham rf mh
tality is the musical power; Stimuli are the
6 raof the nsrformenand life i ih
permits -t I . :. ' t ; ;
'This harp of a thousand strings ,
Tokkepintuntioilongf
Such is life now what is health?
An life consists in the aggregate union of
all the living actions, audi indifferently
whether those actions be well or ill per
formed r so health consists to the aggregate
union of sucb of those actidns by which;
nutrition is carried on and not indifferent
ly whether they be well or ill perorroed,but
exclusively when they are wei performedJ
And disease consists exclusively in their
being (one or more of them) ill performed.
You will ! now 'readily nnderstand of
what tremendous importance to health are
the properties contractility and sensibility.
For as health consists in : the doe perform
ance of certain actions, ii is clear that they
will be feebly or energetically performed,
accordingly as these twof properties are
themselves energetic or feeble. You will
also see, that the stimoloua which the blood
offers to them is of vast ! importance like
wise The stimulous is as sort of messen
ger sent to aummoe them to action. In
proportion as the summons is feebly deliv
ered, it will be faintly heard !and feebly o
beyed. Contractility and sensibility are a
horse that gallops furiously, moves slug
gishly, or goes to sleep entirely, exactly in
proportion as the stimuloqs of the whip
is gently or vigorously applied. Like the
horse, too, the faster they are driven on by
the whin, the sooner theV are tired like
playfulness with which I have occasionally
spoken of them as, for instance, in the
it allusions to Paaanini and his fiddle. "Ri
allusions to Paganini and his fiddle.
dentera dicere verura quid I vetat I What
reason on earth is there for; always telling
the truth with a grave face? f Why should
we not sometimes tell it with ia smilingeye
as well as a scowling brdwt Gravityis not
wisdom, nor a smile folly Besides, if to
smile he a follv. what then? Qui vit
I sans fblie, n'est pas si sage jquil croit,' says
RchefoucanlU
n.ff;-v. hpn. i,that arrangement of
;
the component parts
irts of matter which fits
k;it.v f!nfUi;ist ,hnU.k.., iu:u
..v -.r--y ...
enuows u wuu uie power oi;ejtecuung living
motions. Stimuli are impressing causes,act-
ing on its contractility, & exciting it (organ-
ized matter) to acUm ; and sensibility is
the property! by which it perceives the
presence ot these impressing causes.
1 he muscles ot yofrarm are organized,
auu mcy jncn i,uuUawn,miu och.iuii-
ny ; and when you will to raise your arm,
your win Decomes an impressing cause,
'It 1 . i . . .
excitinff those muscles to action, that is, to
I . ..! r . .
contract, ineir seusiDiiity jnaKes tnem
1 a n mu a 1 u ai uiiv biwhvwwsbbc wwwa w aa iu m
lus, (viz. the will,) is actings upon them,,
and they contract in obedience to it, and
your arm is raisea accoroingiy.
J But if thai nerves which iconvey
that
stimulus from the brain to the arm be par-
alysed, you may will till the crack of
I , ,, -I, . ,, j
doom,' your arm will not stir it w 11 care
iiv hiuic u""1 . .
mules of the Abbess of Audrouillet for all
tnat pious old lady s pish-tng and pshaw -
im?. and thumbine with her cane on the
bottom of the chaise. There are the or-
i i- ,;ii . ,w.! .M ,;ii
I Vllll.Clk lUUOkld Btlll IllCICi .16 9tlt iv-
mtMg the cbniractilitv and Sensibility of
those muscles;; and the impressing cause
is still in energetic operation, ise tne goou
abbess's cane. But thenthisi operation is
confined to the wrong place the cane is
thumping on the bottom of the chaise in-
,r -? , . j .- .u. i r.i
..p,.I nf hpinr!annl ed to the cniDner of the
muIe-tl.e .Utu.o, of the ffl.ull exi,,
it is true, but tren it is in we Drain oniy
From the muscles of the arm, where its
presence is required, it is absent absent
without leave like the abbess's muleteer
I ... . . "i. ... .
and your arm? will remain ; as oosunateiy
immovable by your side, as did the mules
4 k 4 - . ' .
or the Abbess pi Androuiuet tne toot oi
the Burgundtan hill.
I trust, my dear John, there are now
clearly depicted on the canvass of your
mind, four distinct and well defined ideas,
representing organismcontractil ity, sensi-
bility, and stimuli ; and that i you plainly
perceive their intimate connexion with
each other, and the necessary co-operauon
of the literal meaning of tbe-wbrd, you will
i i..m.M ni iiinf u meim iiirnuiVi
,aU6u.Sv . -v.vv.. ..
long stick with a sharp poitit with which
husbandmen were wont to goad their oxen
I along, in times and countries ( where oxen
of Now these DroDerties. cofitractilirr snd
I wera used lor air n cultural ourooses.
ai - w
i
i leiwium r ujwo .u.iwua V""
which, it is rasmtest,; ue penos. Ug vhmimm. sstep .. in: crfsr to tritt
and without a healthy condmon on u pnenoaaaa of ftnanutioa and potrt-
which, the health of the body' can no more
be preserved, i than the true . mouons of
fc t 1 .- j i,mVm nr
tad 1 otherwise injured inainsprin-the proper,
u l watca caa do oiaiawioeu wiw .
I.irt wbjeet trecttala Uvs - h
7 w endeavor to tsttSEiV-
these Uws or rather, I am going to endca- .
jot convince yon of their exittsrics,
That they do exist, iSmtrnth that hsiWa ' .
weU nd incontrovertably tstablished snd
sdmiued among all men! acquainted vhU.
the animal economy, this effect of oedl
cines opon it, dtc. Sw. ever since Hippo
crates practised physic it Athens, and that
is more than two thoussid years sgb. But
it is. not sufficient that inedical men r are - 1
wire. that these laws exifl my object is to
convmcs you of their existence. I want
jroo to inow what Is good and what is in.
junousoyour health, not from my ditfath. J
bet from the simple exercise of -your e we
reason. j
I beg that you will consider what I am
about to say on the subject of these hw
with great attention examine the proofs
and arguments carefullyi but fairly. For -I
tell you, U the octset, that If yon admit
the existence of these laws, yon will pot
afterwards be st liberty to question or dsvbt
the truth or propriety of what I shall say
with'regard to diet and Regimen. For the
existence of contractility and sensibility:
are like the , axioms of f Euclid : they are
self-evident truths of which soy .one may
convince himself by experiment." For in
stance a dead man may easily be made to
move his limbs, to breathe, and frown, &ev
by exciting the'appiopriate muscles to con
tract by means qf galvanism. A$d this
laws ty which these properties are subject,
and of which I am now to speak, are, if I
prove them, of the nature of the propoai
tions of the first book oil Euclid. If tkess
be true, the propositions bf the second book
must be true; also, of necessity truths
of the second book arising out ol the truths
of the irsL as naturally as pigs squeak.9
As, for instance, if you ; admit that twice
two are four, you must of necessity nka ad
mit that the half of four is two. So if yon
admit what I am about! to say of these
laws, you must also admit the propriety of
what I shall hereafter say as to diet and re
gimen,, as the correctness of the former.
As for instance, if you admit, now that sen- V
sibility can be wornout and. that such and
such a regimen is calculated to wear it out,
then I say, you must also, of necessity ad
mit, that this particular regimen is injuri
ous to health. When I come to apply
these laws to the subjects of diet and regi
men, I repeat, that either what I shall say
then must be true; or wlat I am about to
say now must be false, j . r.
As all the actions of the body are performed by
contractions, and as these contractions are per
formed in virtue of the contractile power, ibat it.
contractility, it is evide nt j tbit. the physical
strength v( the body that strength by which
we raise heavy weighta, walk, ran, leap, ice
will be in proportion to the 'energy of the coo
tractile power. A hiffh d?ree of contractu
I -1 - ? - 1 .
power, o, ajnonynwuswiiD atrengts, and
f . r oe5ree o1 con traciue power w synonymous
with weakness.
L o only ara the motions f the hmls iw
tormed by contractions, hot also those moUoosof
the internal organs by which autrition is'f.ffscted.
Now this beinj? the casdaod as these internal
contractions are also par formed in virtus of the
coniracuie power, or contraetihty, it.JSi sgam
raan . u.nat the eoeW with which these in
ternal motions are performed, fand bv which nu-
en f th cUle l. . lnJ 7 h!th
consists in the doe energv(u we have befora
seen) with which these mtipns are effected.! it
rouows, cieanj ana logically, mat a Dim oe
1-11 . 1 1 a . . mm k
gree ot coniracuie powers aynonymoas with a
I ...U J M...I L j f-. J
u,s ,'co w "CJ; ,
www 19 viiuuiuiwus wiui locuio
m . .
health.
Having premised the above short paragraph. I
now proceed to mention to yon the first important
law to which contractility is jrabjct, via. run-,
escckce. Contractility caq ouly exist in per
fection in recently organised batter. No sooner
has a molecule of matter become organised and
assimilated to the living maticr, thairita co&trac-
I asituitau tw iu, iiviiim uia.tci, iiiau iiiguuiiic
tUi int to fadet t9 u
i nKe areata wnicn naa oeen Dreained anon a
highly piilished soiface, sucb as steel, or look-
1 ing glass. Indeed, it seems to be tbe evanescent
nteof contractility, which1 has given occasioa
10 particular coutiivaoee by which life U
supporie tu. ot coasiaaiornnisauoa aoa aa-
I . . - . . .... ..
JMmrL'irSL2.S
v . if cootraculity could continue to exist in fall
energy in an organised body daring tbe whole
time thai bodv was destined to exist, what ne-
eessity was there fat this consUnt renewal
this constant disorganisation and re-ornolaa-
I tion? -.this eonsUnt DoJIinp duwo & buildioff dd7
Qf -,n PM"SW -8
ZT
a petermtned Jaw of nature, ihatthe oo-
im permanent condition of matter should be the
inorganic condition. Nevertheless, certiia ends
in the eeneral scheme of ciet tion were tobefol-
I . t. : I .L : . 1:1. ' &
nuea, woicu wuiw w wpr winpusanien
the existence o crgonuea qatier. pet in cr-
I ikal AMtmmi matt fAiirht maI m
daxtoj ot neutralise that erigiaU
hj hida it yu enacted that there should
be nop ermanent condition of matter except the
viorganic, all organised matter wumadetob-
jecttotbi lawaoffermentaton and patrafaction,
rrioTitSkteluIn
m&Iter bad been organised cooht never have twea
aecomnlikhed : for no saef waild iratlax have
I Uws of fermenution and pairefaetid tawlich il
answer by organised befanqoired tuns re,
nairpd a! oonUottiiy of existence, in p perfect
a. i a . i - ia
argaaism, wu jwu.
wu acassary, thsrelbrs. )hU there should be
,Mti,.r contrivance, in crdet to withdraw organ-
I ised being beyond me inflaenea cf the laws of
l ooireiacuwa a-.-- - -v."
that is. wirt .the ynsTto which It ba4
. a BkA i ii m a a a - taftSJiMM
of life are
tnis . contrmncs a noznoer ox
l uoaor a limited ptnod But stnee the phe
nomeaa of life r
I ntrAtilit Mn mIv mida in full at:vt
, - r .
ty ia fery rtcmhftH matte r, it wu
. 1
If-
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f
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4
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