SOME SPECIAL REGULATIVE PROCESSES 325 



readily as healthy ones. The warnings against destructive 

 acts come at first. If the warnings are disregarded, natural 

 instincts, those heaven-sent guardians of our welfare, with- 

 draw, and evil habits and desires assume control. 



592. Natural and Artificial. Everything in the world is 

 natural. We and our most artificial acts are a part of 

 nature. That which comes by nature apart from man, or 

 that which he does truthfully copying nature, is usually 

 called natural. That which is done by man in such a way 

 as to disregard the usual processes of the rest of the 

 natural world, is called artificial. Artificiality is usually 

 marked by ugliness and weakness, but it is not recognized 

 as such by any one whose taste has become depraved from 

 following artificial customs. 



DISEASE 



593. Use of Pain and Disease. Most diseases have for 

 their purpose to repair, to protect, or to purify. If the 

 body can set to work to repair a cut in the flesh or a 

 broken bone, how much more easily can it purify unsound 

 organs or tissues and make them sound again. It used to 

 be the custom to apply liniments and healing ointments 

 to wounds and broken bones to assist in the healing, but 

 now it is found that to set the bone and bind the edges of 

 the wound together is sufficient. If kept clean and undis- 

 turbed, nature will work a perfect cure. 



594. Sometimes Poisons accumulate in the body and in- 

 terfere with the working of the organs. This may be 

 caused by drinking poisonous substances, or using them as 

 food, or by indigestion, in which case germs may find sus- 

 tenance and multiply, giving poisons into the circulation. 

 The automatic regulative apparatus of the body is usually 

 equal to the difficulty. These poisons are oxidizable, es- 

 pecially at a little higher temperature than that which the 



