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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1860 Excerpt:... the colon, this, again, altering the quantity of blood in that part, and the consequent secretions from it. Thus we see that the secreting action of the colon depends upon the quantity of blood in its vessels, and the quality of the nervous agency operating upon them. Now, suppose that a man has a large quantity of good blood in his whole body, there will be amply sufficient for the purposes of secretion in all parts of that body,--for the foces among the rest. Such a man ought to have his bowels evacuated once in twenty-four or thirty-six hours, of between five and six ounces of foces, and he will have them so evacuated if he takes sufficient exercise, does not sleep too long, avoids irritating articles of diet, keeps out mental care and overtoil--if, in short, he maintains his ganglionic nervous system in order. For remark, that when he does not exercise his will in bodily exertion, when his brain sleeps too long, or, on the other hand, when it is over-worked, excess and congestion of blood takes place in it, and the distribution of blood is rendered unequal throughout the ganglionic nervous system--the brain itself representing a very important part of that system. The consequence is that blood, being plus in the brain and spinal cord, is minus in the mucous and nervous tissues of the colon; the secretory power of that bowel is therefore impaired, and the patient is constipated. "Suppose the same full-blooded person to eat and drink improper things, the same process of congestion of blood takes place in the mucous membrane and nerves of the stomach, which took place in the brain in the other case, with the addition, very commonly, of the brain congestion as well; the distribution of blood is changed, to the detriment of the colon; and the patient i...