HOW TO KEEP THE HEART AND THE BLOOD HEALTHY.
~1.~ The heart is one of the most important of all the organs of the
body. If we take good care of it, it will do good service for us during
a long life. Let us notice some ways in which the heart is likely to be
injured.
~2. Violent Exercise.~--Did you ever run so hard that you were out of
breath? Do you know why you had to breathe so fast? It was because the
violent exercise made your heart beat so rapidly that the blood could
not get out of the lungs as fast as the heart forced it in. The lungs
became so filled with blood that they could not do their work well.
Sometimes, when a person runs very fast or takes any kind of violent
exercise, the lungs become so filled with blood that a blood-vessel is
broken. The person may then bleed to death. It is very unwise to overtax
the heart in any way, for it may be strained or otherwise injured, so
that it can never again do its work properly.
~3. Effects of Bad Air.~--Bad air is very harmful to the heart and to
the blood also. We should always remember that the blood of the body
while passing through the lungs is exposed to the air which we breathe.
If the air is impure, the blood will be poisoned. In churches and in
other places where the air becomes foul, people often faint from the
effects of the impure air upon the heart. It is important that the air
of the rooms in which we live and sleep should be kept very pure by good
ventilation.
~4. Effects of Bad Food.~--The blood is made from what we eat, and if we
eat impure and unwholesome food, the blood becomes impure. We ought to
avoid the use of rich or highly-seasoned foods, candies, and all foods
which are not nutritious. They not only injure the blood by making it
impure, but they cause poor digestion.
~5. Plenty of Sleep Necessary.~--If we should take a drop of blood from
the finger of a person who had not had as much sleep as he needed, and
examine it with a microscope, we should find that there were too few of
the little red-blood corpuscles. This is one reason why a person who has
not had sufficient sleep looks pale.
~6. Proper Clothing.~--We should be properly clothed, according to the
weather. In cold weather we need very warm clothing. In warm weather we
should wear lighter clothing. Our clothing should be so arranged that it
will keep all parts of the body equally warm, and thus allow the blood
to circulate properly. The feet are apt to be cold, being so far away
from the heart, and we should take extra pains to keep them warm and
dry.
~7. Effects of Excessive Heat.~--In very hot weather, many persons are
injured by exposing themselves to the sun too long at a time. Persons
who drink intoxicating liquors are very often injured in this way, and
sometimes die of sunstroke.
~8. Effects of Anger.~--When a person gets very angry, the heart
sometimes almost stops beating. Indeed, persons have died instantly in a
fit of passion. So you see it is dangerous for a person to allow himself
to become very angry.
~9. Effects of Alcohol upon the Blood.~--If you should take a drop of
blood upon your finger, and put it under the microscope, and then add a
little alcohol to it, you would see that the corpuscles would be quickly
destroyed. In a few seconds they would be so shrivelled up that no one
could tell that they had ever been the beautiful little corpuscles which
are so necessary to health. When alcohol is taken as a drink, it does
not destroy the corpuscles so quickly, but it injures them so that they
are not able to do their work of absorbing and carrying oxygen well.
This is one reason why the faces of men who use alcoholic drinks often
look so blue.
~10. Alcohol Overworks the Heart.~--Dr. Parkes, a very learned English
physician, took the pains to observe carefully the effects of alcohol
upon the heart of a soldier who was addicted to the use of liquor. He
counted the beats of the soldier's pulse when he was sober; and then
counted them again when he was using alcohol, and found that when the
soldier took a pint of gin a day his heart was obliged to do one fourth
more work than it ought to do.
~11. Effects of Alcohol upon the Blood-Vessels.~--If you put your hands
into warm water, they soon become red. This is because the blood-vessels
of the skin become enlarged by the heat, so that they hold more blood.
Alcohol causes the blood to come to the surface in the same way. It is
this that causes the flushed cheeks and the red eyes of the drunkard.
Sometimes, after a man has been using alcohol a long time, the
blood-vessels of his face remain enlarged all the time. This makes his
nose grow too fast, and so in time it gets too large, and then he has a
rum-blossom.
~12. Effects of Tobacco on the Heart and the Blood.~--When a boy first
tries to use tobacco, it makes him feel very sick. If you should feel
his pulse just then, you would find it very weak. This means that the
heart is almost paralyzed by the powerful poison of the tobacco. Tobacco
also injures the blood corpuscles.
~13.~ _Tea_ and _coffee_ also do their share of mischief to the heart.
Those who use them very strong often complain of palpitation, or heavy
and irregular beating of the heart.
~14. Taking Cold.~--People usually "catch cold" by allowing the
circulation to become disturbed in some way, as by getting the feet wet,
being chilled from not wearing sufficient clothing, sitting in a
draught, and in other similar ways. It is very important for you to know
that a cold is a serious thing, and should be carefully avoided.
~15. Hemorrhage~ (hem´-or-rhage) ~or Loss of Blood.~--A severe loss of
blood is likely to occur as the result of accidents or injuries of
various sorts, and it is important to know what to do at once, as there
may not be time to send for a doctor before it will be too late to save
the injured person's life. Here are a few things to be remembered in all
such cases:
~16.~ If the blood from a cut or other wound flows in spurts, and is of
a bright red color, it is from an artery. If it is dark-colored, and
flows in a steady stream, it is from a vein.
~17. How to Stop the Bleeding of Wounds.~--If the bleeding vessel is an
artery, apply pressure on the side of the wound next to the heart. If
the bleeding is from a vein, apply it on the opposite side. It is
generally best to apply pressure directly over the wound or on both
sides. The pressure can be made with the thumbs or with the whole hand.
Grasp the part firmly and press very hard, or tie a handkerchief or
towel around the wounded part and twist it very tight. If an arm or limb
is the part injured, the person should be made to lie down, and the
injured part should be held up. This is of itself an excellent means of
stopping hemorrhage.
~18. Nose-Bleed.~--For nose-bleed a very good remedy is holding one or
both hands above the head. The head should be held up instead of being
bent forward, and the corner of a dry handkerchief should be pressed
into the bleeding nostril. It is well to bathe the face with very hot
water, and to snuff hot water into the nostril if the bleeding is very
severe. If the bleeding is very bad or is not readily stopped, a
physician should be called.
SUMMARY.
1. Violent exercise is likely to injure the heart.
2. Bad air makes the blood impure and disturbs the action of the heart.
3. Unwholesome food produces bad blood.
4. Too little sleep makes the blood poor.
5. Proper clothing is necessary to make the blood circulate equally in
different parts of the body.
6. Violent anger may cause death by stopping the beating of the heart.
7. Alcohol injures the blood.
8. Alcohol overworks the heart.
9. Alcohol enlarges the blood-vessels.
10. Tobacco injures the blood.
11. Tobacco weakens the heart and makes the pulse irregular.
12. The use of strong tea and coffee causes palpitation of the heart.
13. A cold is caused by a disturbance of the circulation. A cold should
never be neglected.
14. When an artery is wounded, the blood is bright red and flows in
spurts.
15. When a vein is wounded, the blood is purple and flows in a steady
stream.
16. To stop bleeding from an artery, press on the side of the wound
towards the heart, or on both sides of the wound.
17. When a vein is wounded, press on the side away from the heart.