VOLUME NINE

P. F. COLLIER & SON COMPANY NEW YORK

Copyright 1922 BY P. F. COLLIER & SON COMPANY

MANUFACTURED IN U. S. A.

PHYSIOLOGY

THE SCIENCE OF THE BODY

BY

ERNEST G. MARTIN PROFESSOR OF PHYSIOLOGY, STANFORD UNIVERSITY

P. F. COLLIER & SON COMPANY NEW YORK

PREFACE

When Alexander Pope wrote “The proper study of mankind is man,” he was thinking rather of man as a social being than as the possessor of an amazingly complex and interesting body. It is nevertheless true that to one who finds enjoyment in the study of intricate mechanisms or to one for whom that amazing sequence of events which we call life has appeal there is no more fascinating study than the study of the living body. That part of the study of the body which concerns itself primarily with activity and only secondarily with form and structure, makes up the science of Physiology. The way the body works is the central theme.

The practical value of Physiology to the general reader lies in the fact that it forms the basis of all sound rules of hygiene. Life is made up of bodily activities which may be carried on correctly or incorrectly. Carried on correctly they mean health, carried on incorrectly, unhealth. The world is flooded with health-preserving or health-restoring systems, urged upon the public, for the most part, by promoters in search of gain. Such of these as have merit are based on definite physiological principles, and anyone who has a common-sense working knowledge of his own body can order his life in accordance with them, at little or no expense. Moreover, a sound appreciation of Physiology drives home the truth that when the body is really out of order its restoration can be safely intrusted only to the properly trained physician: the man or woman who through years of painstaking study has won insight into the intricacies of the human mechanism and whose honest appreciation of the difficulties of his profession, and courageous sincerity in grappling with them, justify to the full the confidence in which he is held by his community.

ERNEST G. MARTIN.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I. THE SIGNS OF LIFE 9

II. THE MAINTAINING OF LIFE 18

III. THE SOURCES OF FOOD 24

IV. THE USES OF FOOD 31

V. BODY CELLS 41

VI. THE SUPPORTING FRAMEWORK 53

VII. MOTION 73

VIII. SENSATION--INTERNAL AND CONTACT SENSES 86

IX. SENSATION--DISTANCE SENSES 96

X. THE NERVOUS SYSTEM AND SIMPLE NERVOUS ACTIONS 122

XI. THE BRAIN AND COMPLEX NERVOUS ACTIONS 139

XII. SOME SPECIAL NERVOUS ACTIONS; SMOOTH MUSCLE AND GLAND CONTROL 155

XIII. THE BODY FLUIDS 173

XIV. THE CONVEYER SYSTEM OF THE BODY 191

XV. THE SERVICE OF SUPPLY OF FOOD 226

XVI. THE SERVICE OF SUPPLY OF OXYGEN 253

XVII. THE SERVICE OF REMOVAL OF WASTE 271

XVIII. MORE ABOUT THE USE OF FOOD BY THE BODY 277

XIX. KEEPING WARM IN WINTER AND COOL IN SUMMER 305

XX. THE PERPETUATION OF THE RACE 324

XXI. CHILD AND MAN 345

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

MUSCULAR COORDINATION--WEISSMULLER’S HORIZONTAL PLUNGE INTO A SWIMMING POOL _Frontispiece_

FACING PAGE

FACTORY’S COOPERATION IN AIDING PHYSICAL FITNESS, UNDERWEIGHT EMPLOYES ARE GIVEN A MILK LUNCH 32

WEIGHT TEST IN A CHILD’S PHYSICAL EXAMINATION TO DETERMINE HOW NEARLY THE CHILD APPROACHES CORRECT STANDARDS OF PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT 33

FRENCH METHOD OF MEASURING VERTICAL CONFORMATION, CONSIDERED VALUABLE IN ADVISING AND TRAINING ATHLETES 64

CURVE OF THE SPINE MEASURED AND DRAWN FOR STUDY OF AN ATHLETE’S POSSIBILITIES 65

MUSCULAR DEVELOPMENT OF AN ATHLETE--THE DISCUS THROWER OF MYRON 80

A MODERN “VICTORY”--MISS SABIE AT PRACTICE 81

HOSPITAL DESIGNED TO SUPPLY THE MAXIMUM OF LIGHT AND AIR--CHIEF REQUISITES FOR HEALTH--TO EACH ROOM 96

ARCHITECT’S PLAN MADE WITH THE NEED FOR LIGHT AND AIR IN MIND 97

SOFT, RESTFUL COLORS OF A HOSPITAL ROOM 112

MAGNET PUT TO THE SERVICE OF REMOVING IRON FILINGS FROM THE EYE 113

TEST FOR BLOOD PRESSURE 192

INDICAN TEST IN URINALYSIS 193

MICROSCOPIC STUDY OF THE BLOOD 208

MICROPHOTOGRAPH OF BRAIN TISSUE 209

X-RAYING THE TEETH AND JAW--HEALTH OFTEN DEPENDS ON THEIR GOOD CONDITION 224

THROAT EXAMINATION--IMPORTANT IN DETERMINING PHYSICAL CONDITION 225

LUNCH HOUR IN FRENCH SCHOOL WHERE EXERCISE, OUT-OF-DOOR LIFE, SUNSHINE AND FRESH AIR ARE CONSIDERED ESSENTIALS 288

DIET KITCHEN ON A U. S. HOSPITAL SHIP 289

CARING FOR THE EARS--IMPORTANT FOR ADULTS AND BABIES ALIKE 336

BABY’S FOOTPRINT--A MEANS OF POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION 336

BABIES, PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY ACTIVE 337