Erg

“ Life has been saved in this kind of sudden acute cardiac failure in valvular disease. When venesection is not indicated in certain conditions of low blood pressure and heart failure, ergot has saved life. It causes contraction of the blood vessels and seems to tone the heart. ”

“ This enfeebles the muscles of the back, and exhausts the nervous energy, while the erect position favors their development and power, because there is an alternate contraction and relaxation of the muscles. Again, in the stooping position, the lower limbs are curved at the knee. In 97 this attitude, there is a constant tension of the muscles of the lower extremities, which produces muscular exhaustion.
198. Why will a person who stands erect walk further, and perform more labor, than if he assumed the stooping posture? ”

“ The venous obstruction quickly leads to diminished diastolic filling of the heart, and to such a decreased velocity of blood flow that the effort is terminated by the lack of oxygen in the brain. During any violent exercise, such as running, the skeletal muscles alternately contract and expand, and the full flood of the circulation flows through the locomotor organs. The stroke of the heart is then both more energetic and more frequent, and the blood circulates with increased velocity. ”

“ Ergot induces rigors, pinched, pale countenance, extreme anxiety, great fear of death, violent headache, stupor, loss of voluntary motion, spasmodic jerking, sudden paralysis, debility and fainting, cold, dry, shriveled skin, knotted veins, tongue cold, livid and pale, vomiting violent, enlargement and pain in the liver, watery diarrhea, swelling of the limbs with cold surface, violent, cramp-like, intermittent pains in the pelvis and groin, hemorrhage, congestion of the womb, local gangrene. ”

“ The pulse, under the forefinger, of the right hand, is gentle and lacks vitality. The right hand pulse, under my second finger, is superficial, and has lost all energy. The deep and agitated beating of the forepulse of the left hand arises from the febrile state, due to the weak action of the heart. ”

“ Potential Energy is defined as work. The C.G.S. unit of energy is, therefore, the erg." If mental states or consciousness be potential energy of the physicist, the neo-realist should define it in terms of physical work. ”

“ In the erect posture, the heart inclines forwards and approaches the anterior wall of the thorax. When the heart is hypertrophied, the lungs do not overlap it to the same extent as when it is of its ordinary size. In the latter state, the elastic cushion of the lung muffles the heart’s impulse. In the former state, the lung is pushed aside by the overgrown heart, the strong muscular walls of which strike forcibly against the ribs and sternum.
The thorax is separated from the abdomen by the moveable diaphragm. The heart, F E, lies upon the diaphragm, L L*. ”

“ After establishing an artificial circulation of the brain Wiggins found that adding adrenalin to the nutritive fluid reduced the outflow, and it is supposed that adrenalin acts by stimulating the ends of the vasomotor nerves, rather than by stimulating the muscular coats of the arteries. The veins of the pia and dura mater have no middle muscular coat and no valves. The venous blood emerges from the skull in man mainly through the opening of the lateral sinuses into the internal jugular vein ”

“ The chest is flattened and restricted in its movements, with the result that respiration is embarrassed and becomes almost entirely abdominal. The muscles of the back, shoulders, and hips undergo atrophy, and may exhibit tremors, and the deep reflexes become exaggerated. The nerves are liable to be pressed upon as they pass through the intervertebral foramina, and this gives rise to pain and other disturbances of sensation in their area of distribution. ”

“ Mountains are to the rest of the body of the earth, what violent muscular action is to the body of man. The muscles and tendons of its anatomy are, in the mountain, brought out with force and convulsive energy, full of expression, passion, and strength; ”

“ The operator kneels down on one knee, grasps the sides of the body just below the lower ribs, making pressure steadily and firmly inwards and upwards, and releasing suddenly, the idea being to make the lungs work something like a rubber ball would act after pressure and on sudden release, or in other words producing an artificial gasp, for the purpose of bringing back respiration, for when this is accomplished, the circulation will be restored, and by keeping the patient warm and rubbing the limbs you will be able to bring the apparently dead back to life. ”

“ The important work that the nerves fulfill is evident, when we consider that the brain itself needs one fifth of the whole supply of the blood in the body. It must suffer, therefore, if the supply of air to the blood is bad. How easily is accounted for the dull aching of the temples of the athlete accustomed to pure air in a badly ventilated theatre or room. If deficient oxidation of the blood is the cause of derangement to the nervous system, blood of bad quality must be equally hurtful to the muscular. ”

“ When, therefore, the body is greatly wasted, the artery which runs along the spine has often been felt by persons touching the abdomen, and also the pulses in members which before used not to be felt. Wherefore we must attend to all circumstances, that we may not be mistaken in our diagnosis. A strong pulse is occasioned by the force of the natural faculty, when not counteracted by any other cause, such as the want failing, or from hardness of the instrument. But a feeble pulse may arise from weakness of the natural powers alone, although no other causes contribute. ”

“ Here speculation is excluded. Matter is simply one of the three factors which enters, by virtue of its mass, into our formulae for energy, momentum, etc. Force is simply a quantity of which we need to know only its magnitude, direction, point of application and the time during which it is applied. The Newtonian conception of force—the producer of motion—is adequate. All troublesome questions as to how force acts, of the mechanism by means of which its effects are produced are held in abeyance. ”

“ When the nerve is cut, the heartbeats increase rapidly, and, in fact, the organ works without control. When the nerve is unduly irritated the holdback, or inhibitory force, is increased, and the heart slows up in the same measure. The left cavities of the heart, the pulmonary veins, and the aorta, or systemic artery, contain red or florid blood, fit to circulate through the body. The right cavities of the heart, with the venæ cavæ, or systemic veins, the pulmonary artery, contain dark blood, which must be transmitted through the lungs for renovation. ”

“ The principal bad effect produced by the air pressure appears to be that of severe pains in the joint8 and muscles of the arms and legs. As these have been, in most cases, traced to hard work and consequent copious perspiration, and also to too long a stay under pressure, it has been suggested as a probable cause that small globules of air make their way through the skin, or between the skins, where they remain, and on the workman returning to ordinary atmospheric pressure, expand, and thereby cause the most agonising pains in the joints, the elbows, shoulders, knee-caps, and other places. ”

“ If after exercising, the breathing becomes labored and distressed, it is an unmistakable sign that the work has been excessive. Such excessiveness is not infrequently the cause of serious injury to the heart and lungs or to both. In cases where exercise produces palpitation, labored respiration, etc., it is advisable to recommend absolute rest, or to order the [Pg 195] execution of such exercises as will relieve the oppressed and overtaxed organ. Leg exercises slowly executed will afford great relief. ”

“ The pulse is found to be greatly inflated, but obscure and feeble. Those who are to recover have none of these symptoms. Having placed the woman in a supine posture, with her head rather depressed, her thighs are to be kept elevated by women on each side, or by certain assistants; or if they are not at hand, her chest is to be first fastened to the bed by ligatures, so that when the fœtus is pulled the woman’s body may not follow, and diminish the force of the pulling. ”

“ If, in our examination of the muscle, we find irritability normal to both currents, we have proof of the integrity of the muscular tissue. If the muscle also responds by contraction to electrization of its nerve, we have further proof that the nerve is healthy, and also the spinal cord at the point of origin of the nerve.|Electro-Irritability diminished.| If we find the irritability lessened, there is disease of either muscular tissue, nerve or cord ”

“ For the blood during violent exercise is carried forwards by the action of the muscles faster in the arteries, than it can be taken up by the veins; as appears by the redness of the skin. And from the consequent sweats, it is evinced, that the secretory vessels of the skin during exercise pour out the perspirable matter faster, than the mouths of the absorbent vessels can drink it up. Which mouths are not exposed to the increased muscular action, or to the stimulus of the increased velocity and quantity of the blood, but to the cool air. ”

“ Arterial motion is normal during all ages, from the quick pulse of the babe's arm, to the ages of each year to one hundred or more. At this great age the pulse is so slow that the heat is not generated by the nerves, whose motor velocity is not great enough to bring electricity to the stage of heat. All heat, high and low, surely is the effect of active electricity—plus to fever; minus to coldness. When an irritant enters the body by lung, skin or any other way, a change appears in the heart's action from its effects on the brain, to the high electric action and that burning heat called fever. ”

“ Now, these actions are only possible in so far as the phenomena of breathing are taking place in the active region. Prevent arterial blood from coming to the muscle, that is to say, prevent combustion taking place, and consequent heat evolving in it, and, although the structure of the organ suffers no harm, it loses its contractile power. Mere compression of the supplying artery of the muscle, so as to check the flow of blood in it, causes the organ to grow cool, and lose its power. The labors of Hirn and Béclard have clearly established the relations between heat and muscular motion. ”

“ As there are some who admit nothing unless upon authority, let them learn that the truth I am contending for can be confirmed from Galen's own words, namely, that not only may the blood be transmitted from the pulmonary artery into the pulmonary veins and then into the left ventricle of the heart, but that this is effected by the ceaseless pulsation of the heart and the movements of the lungs in breathing. ”

“ Pressure on the nerve arouses its excitability, and compression of the artery shutting off the supply of blood from the disordered and susceptible muscles, tends to increase their irritability. Ligature of an artery supplying healthy muscles causes simple trembling of such organs. From the spasms of cerebral, spinal or meningeal inflammation tetany is distinguished by the absence of fever, and the complete intermissions of the paroxysms. ”

“ But, on the other hand, actual harm may be done if any one who has been accustomed to lead a sedentary life, or who is not vigorous, suddenly engages in the more violent forms of exercise. In this extreme exertion the heart may be embarrassed by the respiratory action. At the end of deep inspiration the increased pressure of the lungs impedes the flow of blood from the right side of the heart, while the compression of the heart itself by the distended lungs tends to overfill the large veins, and to further endanger the right side of the heart. ”

“ Respecting this belt for boys and men, there is a word more I must say which is of serious import. When they put on the belt for the sake of performing some feat of strength, they effect another dangerous mischief. Compressing the abdomen, they force, during the exertion, the contents of the abdominal cavity downward under pressure, giving no chance to resilience back again after the exertion or shock. ”

“ A full pulse, then, as Archigenes defines it, is one which indicates an artery that is completely full, and the impression of which is, that it is distended with fluids; and an empty one conveys an impression as if its contents were full of bubbles of air, so that the finger, when pressed upon it, seems to fall into an empty space. These five kinds of pulses regard one motion of the artery. And since the quality of the heat in the heart may be more developed than usual in the artery, some have hence reckoned a sixth kind of pulses. ”

“ In the arteries, therefore, besides the concussion or impulse of the blood, the pulse or beat of the artery, which is not equally exhibited in all, there is a perpetual flow and motion of the blood, which returns in an unbroken stream to the point from whence it commenced—the right auricle of the heart. ”

“ The adrenal or suprarenal gland lies just above the kidney, and anatomically has two parts, an outer cortex or shell, and an inner medulla or pulp. The medulla gives off adrenalin, which regulates blood pressure in all parts of the body through action on the blood vessels. The cortex gives off an unknown secretion which seems to have a remarkable influence. When it is diseased, certain curious things happen. ”