CHAPTER XXVIII 



THE HUMAN ORGANISM AND KEEPING IT FIT 



Questions. 1. Of what use is it to know the structure of the body? 



2. Of what use is it to know about the workings of the various parts ? 



3. What is the use of studying the bodies of other organisms ? 4. What 

 is the use of making experiments upon the bodies of various animals ? 



5. How can we tell that experiments on animals have helped mankind ? 



6. Is it true that men have more ribs on one side than on the other? 



7. How do broken bones heal ? 8. How do some people come to have one 

 leg shorter than the other ? 9. Are people with large muscles healthier 

 than people with small muscles ? 10. Which is better for health, games 

 or gymnastics ? 



223. Getting under the skin. A person does not need to 

 know anything about his stomach in order to digest food prop- 

 erly, and some of the greatest brain workers that the world has 

 known were totally ignorant about the nature of the brain and 

 about its very existence ; but pain and discomfort come to most 

 people at one time or another, and in every community there 

 are people whose chief topic of conversation is a comparison of 

 the ailments that they "enjoy," so that someone has wittily 

 called these frequent health discussions "organ recitals." Is it 

 not almost a universal custom to greet people with an inquiry 

 as to their health, and to part from them with wishes regarding 

 their health? Hail (really the same as hale) and farewell/ 

 Our words salute, for greeting, and valedictory, for leave-taking, 

 also show that the race has always had before it the problem 

 of health, or wellness ; and yet most "organ recitals" are absurd 

 in the ignorance that people display regarding their bodies ; 

 and they are foolish too, because, instead of helping in any 

 way, they only keep people in an unhealthy frame of mind. 



Nevertheless, it is of value for all of us today to know some- 

 thing about the body and its workings, both ( i ) to help us keep 



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