Philosophy of Osteopathy - Andrew Taylor Still (best authors to read TXT) 📗

MUCH ALIKE.

One is always the same in form and stays in the body of animals, while the clouds, the lungs of the sky, are never the same in form. They are sometimes very dense and separated from all others. Such are more furious in display. Then we see the softer clouds which cover all visible space above; they too give us rain but in a more quiet way and are more extended in space; they shade the sun, and form water by uniting oxygen and hydrogen, and supply vegetation and all demands for water. Now we see and know the uses for the clouds or lungs of the sky, and we are led to hunt and locate the water forming clouds of the animal beings. As we behold above us the forming clouds we see great activity, with darkness and attending shadows, without such shadows or darkness no rain can form.

The lung of man, too, is in the shade, and surely like the clouds have much to do with the air which contains both gases, which compose water and other elements of life. With my power of reasoning, if the lungs do not generate water and supply the human system through the secretions to sustain life, and keep the body clean and healthy by the excretories, I am at a loss to know why so much wind is taken into the body just to blow out. One would say we live by the wind, and to cut it off we die. At this point I will ask the question, Where and how do fishes get their wind? If they can live on oxygen and hydrogen when united in the form of water, is not this the strongest conclusion we can come to that the lungs generate water of a purer quality than is found in the running brooks or ocean?

Is it not reasonable to suppose that in the lungs can be found the fountain from which water is conveyed to the lymphatics and other parts of the body, to mix with the blood and keep it in proper condition while in construction and processes of renovation? Then if this be true, have we not established and located the fountain head and supply of the nutrient waters of life? If so are we not justified in going to that fountain for water to extinguish a fire that is consuming the body, which we call fever? This heat never appears until the water supplying the lymphatics is very much exhausted, previous to this exhibition of heat; which the chemist would conclude was the result of the action of phosphorous uniting with oxygen without hydrogen.

We as philosophical machinists, to extinguish this fire by every method of reason, would be forced to go to the lungs, and place them in a condition that they can generate water at once and supply the excretory ducts, which will at the first pulsation of the heart throw water upon the consuming fire, and extinguish it by uniting oxygen with hydrogen, and cover the burning building with water by disabling the power of phosphorous and oxygen from uniting and keeping up the flames of destruction.

THE WISDOM OF NATURE.

For all my life previous to the day I spoke out with my conclusions of the wisdom of nature as a very wise and careful mechanic, I had been told that "God" was wise to a finish,—from my birth until I was thirty-five years old,—when I saw that all work done by that law of power and wisdom was absolutely perfect in all its requirements. In vegetable life no power of human can detect a flaw or even suggest an additional leaf, limb or fruit. I had made a long study of minerology in which I found each stone or mettle was in a division of life that was its own, and no other stone could appear dressed in its garb, from the black silurian to the purely transparent crystal. I saw that a diamond could not be a ruby, neither could it be an oak, a goose nor a goat. With all the teaching which had given God credit for his perfect construction, wisdom and ability in all nature, I reasoned that in parching seasons that the sun's fires were put out, and a feverish earth cooled by the falling dews of the clouds. I asked of my own reason if there was not a cloud of water in the human body that could be caused to drop its dews, put out the fires of fever, and save the forests of life that were being burned every fall season.

WATER FORMED IN LUNGS.

I reasoned that water was made by the union of two gases, hydrogen and oxygen,—then a question arose, Is it not fully in line with reason that union of the two gases can and does occur in the lungs and form water, that is taken up by the secretions carried to the lymphatics, and by them to all of the system and stored away for use? Thus I reasoned, and proceeded to seek nerve centers to cause the lymphatics to discharge this water on such places and in quantities sufficient to reduce the heat called fever. I succeeded, fevers vanished as with a magic touch, and left the persons, both old and young, in their normal temperatures without any difference as to kinds of fever to the complete list.

Our lungs are surely the half-way place between life and death. We are told by chemistry that two gases make water for the uses of the body. Is it not true that nature makes water in great quantities often for special cases or conditions, for relief purposes, such as in asiatic cholera, cholera morbus, chills and fever; when the contents of stomach, bowels and skin run off many gallons of water, running through sheet and mattress and on floor, not from kidneys but skin. Is it not plain to the man of reason that the two gases, oxygen and hydrogen, do unite in the lungs, form water and give supply to this great river of water that washes life out in but a few hours in cases of cholera and other diseases. The person is very cold at such times, breath and lung far below the normal, and fully enough to condense gases to water.

THE LAW OF FIVES.

Lungs have five lobes, three on right lung, and two on left. Liver has five lobes, three on right lobe, and two on left lobe. Nerves have five qualities, nutrition, sensation, motion, voluntary and involuntary. Nerves have five senses, seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling and tasting. Since all principles differ in qualities or kinds of service, would it be amiss for us to inquire a little farther why the lungs and liver are provided with five divisions each, if not to do five kinds of work, and different from all other kinds in many ways?

FEEBLE ACTION OF HEART.

I want to draw your attention to the facts that there is no method known by which electricity or magnetic forces can be weighed. When we find the nerves that connect the heart and lungs to brain limited by pressure from twist or slip of neck, do we not see cause for croup? How would we reason to convey electricity without a connected wire? Not at all, we would know no electric force could reach to any point unless a continued connection was made. Now to the point; suppose the vagus nerve should be oppressed to a condition to cut off part of the electricity, would we be surprised if the heart should be feeble in action. I think much of the diseases of the "heart" are not of the organ but from a feeble supply of electricity that is cut off in medulla or heart nerves, between heart and brain. Why singing and roaring of ears in heart diseases, if there is no waste of pectoral electricity?

THE HEART.

With the knife of reason in hand and the microscope of mind of the greatest known power properly adjusted, we cut and lay open the breast of man. Here we dwell indefinitely. This is the engine of life, the self-propelling machine which has constructed all that is necessary to its own convenience and comfort. It has brought and deposited its own nourishment in the coronary arteries, whose duty is to construct and enlarge the heart from time to time as its demands increase. We see its main trunk of supply placed lengthways with the spinal column for the purpose of constructing a manufactory of nutriment. We pass from the heart upward about one foot, here we find it has constructed a battery of force and sensation, and contains all power necessary to carry on construction to the completed man.

In that brain or battery is found all the motor and sensory elements of life, with nerves to transmit all nerve powers and principles found in the human body. There is not a known atom in the whole human make-up that has not been propelled by the heart through the channels by which it has provided for such purpose. Every muscle, bone, hair, and all other parts without an exception have traveled through this system of arteries to their separate destinations. All are indebted to the heart for their material size, and all qualities of motion and life sustaining principles of the human body.

If the carotid artery should tire out and not be able to perform its duty the brain would tire out also, and cease to operate. Should the descending aorta come to a halt from any cause, all parts of the body depending upon that vessel would suffer a total loss of blood supply. Equally so with any other principal artery of limb or body, all mark a failure equal to the suspended supply. The parts and principles of the human body depending upon the heart are numerous beyond computation. Every expulsive stroke of the heart throws into line armed and equipped for duty thousands and millions of operators, whose duties are to inspect, repair injuries and construct anew if need be from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot. With the best eye of reason we see but dimly into the breast of man which contains the heart, the wonder of man and the secret of life.

I have given these bulky descriptions of the forest and ocean to prepare the mind of man to begin the inspection of the machinery that has constructed the body of which he is the indweller. If we cannot swallow all, we can taste.

FROM NECK TO HEART.

The hearts of all animals should call the most careful attention of the student of nature. He finds in it the first act of life; from it go all parts or by it all parts of the body are made, and the student of nature soon learns that at the heart he finds the first evidence of the power of life to continue and give useful shape to matter. Its first work is to complete itself in material form with necessary chambers to hold blood and with tubes to convey to all places of need. He sees vessels leaving the heart to form brain, lungs, liver, trunk and limbs, and with each and all he can see the nerves of motion, sensation, nutrition, the voluntary and involuntary—all working in perfect harmony and content to do their part in the economy of life. Without that union in action a confusion will show in form of abnormality which is known as disease. On its work all nerves do depend for force and strength to build and renovate the body in all its bones, muscles and nerves—thus all channels to and from the heart must be cleared from all