Bearing the above principle of unity in mind, we may now proceed one
step further, and study the most important details upon which the method
of healing, as applied by the hygienic-dietetic physician, is based.
As previously mentioned, the cells of the human body are organized into
twelve distinct tissues, some of which are the component parts of the
various organs as discernible by form and function.
These twelve tissues are the following:
1. The plasmo tissue (blood plasma).
2. The lymphoid tissue.
3. The nerve tissue.
4. The bone tissue.
5. The muscular tissue.
6. The mucous membrane tissue.
7. The tooth and eye tissue.
8. The hair tissue.
9. The skin tissue.
10. The gelatigenous tissue.
11. The cartilage tissue.
12. The body tissue in general.
1. _The plasmo tissue_: This tissue is a liquid, the blood plasma, which
is one of the important component parts of the life-giving substance,
blood. It is the blood serum--blood-water and fibrogen--which harbours
the white and the red corpuscles. The red corpuscles are the carriers of
oxygen to the various tissues, which the body draws from the atmosphere,
and of the other nutriments. They exchange it for the carbonic acid
which is forming in the body, and while the blood in flowing through the
system of arteries, brings the oxygen, it carries away, through the
veins, the poisonous carbonic acid which is exhaled into the atmosphere.
The red corpuscles, after having performed their duties, enter the liver
and are used to build the gall.
The proper quality of the plasma alone regulates the speed of blood
circulation and ensures its entrance into the finest capillaries--the
ultimate branches of the blood-vessels--hence, its capacity to carry
supplies of nutriment to the tissues. The disturbance of this proper
quality is among the main factors of constitutional disease.
2. _The lymphoid tissue_: The lymph is another of the life-giving
liquids of the body, which through a vascular system of its own, draws
certain nutritive substances from the food and carries them to certain
organs which it feeds, especially the nerves.
After this slow task is completed, the rest of the lymph enters the
blood and is carried by it to other parts of the body where only smaller
quantities of lymph are needed for nourishing purposes.
The proper quality and chemical composition of the lymph, which is
different from that of the blood, is of no less importance than that of
the plasma for the preservation and regeneration of the organism.
What the plasma is to the blood, the lymph is to the nerves.
3. _The nerve tissue_: A particular aggregation of cells forms the
nerves, which, emanating from their center in the brain and spine, run
as another separate system all through the body.
This system, however, is not one of vessels; but the nerves may best be
compared to the wires of a telephone system, establishing connection
between the remotest parts of the body and its central point, from which
the directions for both voluntary and involuntary movement are given and
transmitted through the nerves.
They are of a peculiar chemical composition in which the nerve fat
(lecithin) plays a very important part, since its frequent presence in
insufficient quantity is among the most common causes of a great number
of nervous and other diseases.
4. _The bone tissue_: The bones consist of a special and very distinct
tissue in which lime predominates. This gives them the strength and
solidity which enables them to act as support to all the other organs.
The bones too are fed by the blood, and it is through the blood that the
necessary constituent parts for the regeneration of their tissue is
conveyed to them.
While naturally their power of resistance is greater than that of any
other organ, they are nevertheless subject to a number of structural
disturbances, other than traumatic, the causes of which are sometimes
hereditary, sometimes acquired through deficient properties of the
nourishing blood.
Certain tissues which form the connection between the bones and the rest
of the organs, and the gradual transition into other tissues, are
subjects separate and distinct and will be treated separately.
5. _The muscular tissue_: As to quantity, the muscular tissue represents
the maximum of any in the human body.
The muscles do not only consist solely of this one tissue, but of
several others, as do most of the other organs; but here, as in all
other cases, the principal component element is called after the organ
in which it is chiefly found.
The structure of the muscular tissue varies according to its function,
so that we distinguish between the striated and the unstriated or smooth
muscles. This, however, has no influence on their chemical composition,
a distinctive element of which is muscular fibrin, which has the
particular property of contractibility.
6. _The mucous membrane tissue_: The mucous membrane forms the covering
of many of the organs, and its chemical and structural composition is
identical in all parts of the body.
It is characterized by a viscid watery secretion from the mucous glands,
which are always found in the mucous membrane.
Its extremely delicate nature renders it subject to all sorts of
irregularities in chemical composition.
This is the cause of numerous diseases, most of which are due either to
overproduction or underproduction of the secretion which regulates
numerous functions of the body.
7. _The tooth and eye tissue_: While very different in external
appearance, functions and physical qualities, the teeth and the eyes
have nevertheless, the most important part of their chemical composition
in common; namely, _the fluoric acid_, which distinguishes them from all
other tissues.
In the process of natural healing the replacing of any element lacking
through destructive causes in either tissue will practically be the
same.
8. _The hair tissue_: Certain chemical component elements are only
found in the tissue which is called the hair, and which receives its
nourishment like all other tissues, through the blood.
While the hair may seem to be in apparently slight connection with the
rest of the body, it is in reality, none the less an organic portion of
the same, and dependent, like the rest upon the same central system of
supply.
9. _The skin tissue_: With reference to this tissue, much the same
remarks apply as already mentioned in regard to the mucous membrane. It,
however, has certain chemical elements, which are characteristic to its
various layers.
Since the skin forms the most important intermediary between the
external elements and the chemical and structural elements of the
interior of the human body, it is of the greatest importance that its
chemical composition should always be correct, and that it should not be
subject to decomposition such as improper nourishment engenders.
It should be borne in mind that the skin, like all other organs of the
body, grows from the inside outward, so that any ailment concerning the
skin, which is not of a traumatic nature, must be based upon wrong or
insufficient nourishment, and cannot be cured in any other way than by
internal regenerative means.
10. _The gelatigenous tissue_: This tissue, chemically and otherwise
peculiar as it is, forms the chief component part of many of the human
organs, and it may be truly said that the lack of attention which its
peculiarities have received in the past is responsible for more disease
and its fatal issue than almost anything else.
The gelatigenous tissue contains a number of special component elements,
which require special nourishment through proper diet; and in view of
the fact that the gelatigenous tissue pervades so many of the various
organs, its effect upon the functional abilities of a great number of
them is obvious.
The elasticity of most organs which work by contraction and expansion,
depends entirely upon the gelatigenous, rubber-like tissue of which they
are so largely composed.
11. _The cartilage tissue_: Practically the same applies to the
cartilage tissue; but it is only recently that it has been found to what
extent this is the case.
Although entirely different in nature and chemical composition, the
cartilage tissue serves to maintain certain outlines of form and feature
in the human body, which are not based on the still stronger forms of
supporting material, such as the bone tissue and the gelatigenous
tissue.
12. _The body tissue in general_: This comprises the red blood
corpuscles and all tissues which are in any way different from the
distinct tissues just described, but which nevertheless cannot be
classified as separately and distinctly independent.
It may be justly presumed that all elements of the other tissues are to
be found in these final tissues which share the unity of the organism.
* * * * *
By devising a specially nourishing dietary system for the body tissue in
general, all component elements profit, in like degree, and such
disturbances as attack practically all the tissues and organs of the
body severally and conjointly; will be effectively prevented or cured in
the regular course of nature, in strict accordance with biological
principles.