It was a rather strange idea of a recent
distinguished writer upon Hygiene, that per-
haps, if we understood perfectly all the laws
of health, and obeyed them all, life might
be indefinitely prolonged. Nature around
us pronounces otherwise. Every tree,
though it live a thousand years, withers,
root and branch, at last. All the animals,
from the long-lived elephant and tortoise
down to the epheTneral insect floating on the
breeze, have set terms of life. On this
globe of ours, whatever organism is born,
dies. Man' s body furnishes no exception ;
his spirit, only, is immortal.
The marvel is, that so delicate a mechan-
ism as the human body can survive for a
single year, amongst the various perils that
surround it. Yet we live on, some of us,
accidents apart, for a good while. Most
persons fail to reach advanced age, because
of disease. What is disease ?
It is soinethmg cither being or acting
wrong in the body. There may be as many
kinds of disorder, or disease, at least, as
there are organs of the body. More than
that there really are, however; because com-
plications of diseases occur, and each organ,
or the general system , may be out of sorts
in a large number of different ways.
First, it mil be well for us to consider
what makes the body, or parts of it, get out
of order.
Causes of Disease.
These may be stated together, thus : as
causes which are
Hereditary : examples (though not always
inherited), consumption, gout, epileps3^
cancer.
Functional : that is, depending upon the
action, either too great or too little, of one
or more of the organs, or of the body gener-
ally. Examples : over-exertion, over-ex-
citement, loss of sleep ; or, on the other
hand, want of exercise.
Mechanical : as wounds or injuries of
various kinds, tight-lacing, etc.
Conditional : as extremes of heat or cold ,
sudden changes of temperature, dampness
of dwellings.
Digestive : as poisoning, unwholesome
food, intemperance, abuse of medicine ; and,
on the other hand, starvation.
Obstructive : as neglect of the bowels,
uncleanliness of the skin, ill ventilation.
Contagions : as small-pox, itch, hydro-
phobia.
At7nosphcric : as autumnal fevers, yellow
fever, cholera.
467 3
THE FAMILY DOCTOR
Hereditary Disease.
We often see consumption affecting sev-
eral members of the same family through
several generations. The same is true of
insanity. Gout is many times transmitted
from father to son, but seldom to a third
generation. Epilepsj^ also, does not often
extend to grandchildren, nor does cancer.
Each of these diseases may come zvithout in-
heritance. Then, we can sometimes, though
not always, find at least a partial explanation
of their origin otherwise.
Not all (if there be several) children in
a family are likely to have the inheritable
disease. Perhaps all may escape it ; now
and then it comes again in thei?'- children,
having skipped a whole generation.
Page 122
Presented as published in 1901. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
It was a rather strange idea of a recent distinguished writer upon Hygiene, that perhaps, if we understood perfectly all the laws of health, and obeyed them all, life might be indefinitely prolonged. Nature around us pronounces otherwise. Every tree, though it live a thousand years, withers, root and branch, at last. All the animals, from the long-lived elephant and tortoise down to the ephemeral insect floating on the breeze, have set terms of life. On this globe of ours, whatever organism is born, dies. Man' s body furnishes no exception ; his spirit, only, is immortal.
The marvel is, that so delicate a mechanism as the human body can survive for a single year, amongst the various perils that surround it. Yet we live on, some of us, accidents apart, for a good while. Most persons fail to reach advanced age, because of disease. What is disease ?
It is something cither being or acting wrong in the body. There may be as many kinds of disorder, or disease, at least, as there are organs of the body. More than that there really are, however; because complications of diseases occur, and each organ, or the general system , may be out of sorts in a large number of different ways.
First, it mil be well for us to consider what makes the body, or parts of it, get out of order.
Causes of Disease.
These may be stated together, thus : as causes which are
Hereditary : examples (though not always inherited), consumption, gout, epilepsy cancer.
Functional : that is, depending upon the action, either too great or too little, of one or more of the organs, or of the body generally. Examples : over-exertion, over-excitement, loss of sleep ; or, on the other hand, want of exercise.
Mechanical : as wounds or injuries of various kinds, tight-lacing, etc.
Conditional : as extremes of heat or cold , sudden changes of temperature, dampness of dwellings.
Digestive : as poisoning, unwholesome food, intemperance, abuse of medicine ; and, on the other hand, starvation.
Obstructive : as neglect of the bowels, uncleanliness of the skin, ill ventilation.
Contagions : as small-pox, itch, hydrophobia.
Atmospheric : as autumnal fevers, yellow fever, cholera.
467 3
Hereditary Disease.
We often see consumption affecting several members of the same family through several generations. The same is true of insanity. Gout is many times transmitted from father to son, but seldom to a third generation. Epilepsy also, does not often extend to grandchildren, nor does cancer. Each of these diseases may come without inheritance. Then, we can sometimes, though not always, find at least a partial explanation of their origin otherwise.
Not all (if there be several) children in a family are likely to have the inheritable disease. Perhaps all may escape it ; now and then it comes again in their children, having skipped a whole generation.