THE HEAD.
A Free Circulation--Death Blows--Something of the Neck--Order of
Treatment--The Pelvis--Brains of Animals--Arterial Motion--Mental
Vibrations--Overburdening the Mind--Hemiplegia.
A FREE CIRCULATION.
Before we treat of the head, we must follow blood from the heart to all
organs of the head. Not only look at the pictures in Gray, Morris,
Gerrish, or some finely illustrated work on anatomy, but we must apply a
searching hand and know to a certainty that the constrictors of neck, or
other muscles or ligaments do not pull cervical and hyoid bones so close
as to bruise pneumogastric or any other nerves or fibres that would
cause spasmodic contraction of digastric, stylo-hyoid or the whole
remaining group of neck muscles and ligaments, with which you are or
should be very familiar. Ever remember that the venous drainage must be
kept normally active or congestion, and tumefaction, with inflammation
of the glands of the head, face and neck will appear, and mark for you
this oversight; because the perpetual health, ease and comfort of the
head beginning with the scalp and hair, with their nerves, glands and
purity of blood supply, a healthy eye, good hearing, healthy action of
brain with its magnetic and electric forces to the vital parts which
sustain life, memory and reason, depend directly and wholly upon
unlimited freedom of the circulatory system of nerves, blood and
cerebral fluid. They must be normal in action and quantity
unembarrassed, otherwise bad hearing, ulcers of the ears, cross eyes,
pterygium, cataract, granulated lids, staphyloma, lachrymosis and up to
full list of diseases of the eye, with tonsilitis, injured voice, tumors
and cancers of face, head, tongue, mouth and throat, along with
erysipelas, blotches and pimples, and all diseases of the glandular
system of the head and neck. Undoubtedly all these afflictions have
their origin in obstructed normal action between the heart and the
termination of all above it, for want of nerve and blood harmony.
DEATH BLOWS.
Remember that death blows are dealt out freely above the sternum by
irritation and constriction of the parts above described. We should
often refresh our minds, beginning with the muscles that connect the
head and neck, and know to a certainty as we explore that junction that
the capitas minor, major and lateralis, long and short of both anticus
and posticus regions are indisputably normal to your hand and judgment.
It is almost useless to say to the anatomist who has had the drilling in
all branches of that science, previous to obtaining his diploma, to
commence and detail the venous and excretory system, through which all
those glands are drained, and kept in a healthy condition, but we say
this much; let your morning, noon and evening prayer be this, Oh Lord!
give me more anatomy each day I live, because experience has taught me
the unavoidable demands when in the "sick room."
SOMETHING OF THE NECK.
Before you leave that wisely constructed neck, I want to press and
imprint on your minds in the strongest terms that the wisest anatomist,
and physiologist, the oldest and most successful Osteopath knows only
enough of the neck, and its wondrous system of nerves, blood and muscles
and its relation to all above and below it, to say, "From everlasting to
everlasting thou art great, O Lord God Almighty!" Thy wisdom is surely
boundless, for I see that man must be wise to know all about the neck,
for we find by a twist of neck, we may become blind, deaf, spasmodic,
lose speech and memory, and all that is known as the joys of man. On
that division of the body all action of arms, legs, chest and all
muscles get their life--power and motion. Think for a moment of the
thousands and tens of thousands of large and small fluid vessels that
pass to and from heart and brain, to every organ, bone, fibre, muscle
and gland, both large and small, receiving and appropriating the
substances as prepared in the chemical laboratory; so wisely situated,
and so exact in all its works in the production and application of all
substances in the body.
ORDER OF TREATMENT.
The reader will begin with the brain or head because I want to start
with the head; first give such diseases as belong to that division of
the body. Then the neck, chest, abdomen and pelvis. Thus we have five
divisions in regular order, beginning with the head and finishing with
the sacrum. The reader will find diseases of eye, ear, tongue, nose,
face, scalp and hair under the chapter treating of the head. Next in
regular order will be the division of the neck, with diseases of tonsils
and glands of neck, swallow, trachæ, nerves, blood vessels and muscles,
fascia and lymphatics, superior cervical ganglion and other nerves of
the neck, as they affect vitality in diseases. Then we pass on to third
division, with diseases of lung, heart, pericardium, and pleura, with
all parts of chest. Then abdomen, liver, stomach and bowels, and all
organs with resisting power of diaphragm. Fifth, pelvis, with its great
supply of nerves, blood and other fluids. These give us cause to halt
and seat the mind for a long season of observation. A great field opens
at this point for the observing thinker.
THE PELVIS.
In the pelvis we find a system of nerves and arteries with blood for
local supply, besides blood to construct womb, bladder, rectum, colon,
cellular system and all the muscles of that cavity (the pelvis) all of
which comes from arteries and branches above. We think it is not
necessary to name them only in bulk, to a student versed in anatomy.
Perhaps less is known of the pelvic system and its functions than any
division of the body, and for that reason I have felt that we should
know all that is possible to be learned. I believe more ignorance
prevails to-day of internal causes of diseases than would if we reasoned
that the pelvic nerves and vessels had much to do in forming the
abdominal viscera.
THE BRAIN OF ANIMALS.
Of all parts of the body of man to be well studied, the brain should be
the most attractive. It is the place where all force centers, where all
nerves connect to one common battery. By its orders the laboratory of
life begins to move on crude material and labors until blood is formed
and becomes food for all nerves first; then arteries and veins by nerve
action and forces, to suit each class of work to be done by that set of
nerves which is to construct forms; keep blood constantly in motion by
the arteries and from all parts back to the heart, through the veins,
that the blood may be purified, renewed and re-enter the arteries to be
taken to all places of need.
ARTERIAL MOTION.
Arterial motion is normal during all ages, from the quick pulse of the
babe's arm, to the ages of each year to one hundred or more. At this
great age the pulse is so slow that the heat is not generated by the
nerves, whose motor velocity is not great enough to bring electricity to
the stage of heat. All heat, high and low, surely is the effect of
active electricity--plus to fever; minus to coldness. When an irritant
enters the body by lung, skin or any other way, a change appears in the
heart's action from its effects on the brain, to the high electric
action and that burning heat called fever. If plus violent type (yellow
fever), if minus, low grades (typhus, typhoid, plagues), and so on
through the list.
MENTAL VIBRATIONS.
To think implies action of the brain. We can grade thought although we
cannot measure its speed.
Suppose a person of one kind of business thinks just fast enough to suit
that profession. A man is engaged in raising hogs and that alone. He
must reason on and of the nature of hogs. He begins about so: a hog
eats, drinks, bathes, roots and sleeps. He knows the hog eats grain, so
he feeds it corn, or some other suitable cereal, with plenty of water
and good bedding. The swine is on his mind night and day.
THE WHEELS OF THOUGHT.
Now the question is, how fast does he think? How many revolutions do the
wheels of his head make per minute to do all the necessary thinking
connected with the hog business? Say his mental wheels revolve 100 times
each minute. Then he adds sheep to his business, and if that should
require 100 more revolutions and he takes charge of raising draft horses
with 175 revolutions added, you see the wheels of his head whizzing off
375 vibrations per minute. And at this time he adds the duties of the
carpenter with 300 more revolutions, add them together and you see 675.
To this number he adds the duties and thoughts of a sheriff, which are
numerous enough to buzz his wheels at 1500 more, you find 2175 to be
his mental revolutions so far. Now you have the great physical demands
added to the mental motion which his brain has to support, yet he can do
all so far, fairly well.
OVERBURDENING THE MIND.
He now adds to his labors the manufacturing of leather, from all kinds
of hides, with the chemistry of fine tanning, which is equal to all
previous mental motions. Add and you find 4250 revolutions all drawing
on his brain each minute of the day. Add to this mental strain the
increased action of his body which has to perform these duties and you
see the beginning of a worry of both mind and body, to which you add
manufacturing of engines, iron puddling, rolling, etc.; a delegate to a
national convention, thoughts of the death of a near relative; add to
this a security debt to meet during a money panic. By this time the mind
begins to fag below the power of resistance.
HEMIPLEGIA.
Duration of such great mental vibrations for so long stops nutrition of
all or one-half of the brain, and we have a case of "Hemiplegia," or the
wheels of one-half of the brain run so fast as to overcome some fountain
of nerve force and explode some cerebral artery in the brain and deposit
a clot of blood at some motor supply or plexus.
Thus we see men from over mental action fall in our National councils,
courts, manufactories, churches, and almost all places of great mental
activity. Slaves and savages seldom fall victims to paralysis of any
kind, but escape all such, for they know nothing of the strains of mind
and hurried nutrition. They eat and rest, live long and happy. The idea
of riches never bothers their slumbers. Physical injuries may and often
do wound motor, sensory and nutrient centers of brain; but the effect is
just the same, partial or complete suspension of the motor and sensory
systems.
If you burst a boiler by high pressure or otherwise, your engine ceases
to move. And just the same of an over-worked brain or body.
Hemiplegia. "The half" and "I strike." Paralysis of one half of the
body.[2]
[Footnote 2: Chambers.]
Hemiplegia is usually the result of a cerebral hemorrhage or embolism.
It sometimes occurs suddenly without other marked symptoms, but commonly
it is ushered in by an apoplectic attack and on return of consciousness
it is observed that one side of the body is paralyzed, the paralysis
being often profound in the beginning, and disappearing to a greater or
less extent at a later period.
Hemiplegia is much more rarely produced by a tumor. It then generally
comes on slowly, the paralysis gradually increasing as the neoplasm
encroaches more and more upon the motor tracks, though the tumor may be
complicated by the occurrence of a hemorrhage and a sudden hemiplegia.
A gradual hemiplegia may also be produced by an abcess or chronic
softening of the brain substance. Other conditions or symptoms
presented, will in such case, assist us to diagnose the nature of the
lesion.