94 APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY 



fermentation takes place, with the development of poisons. 

 The gas from the fermentation causes the abdomen to swell 

 or bloat. The liver is imperfectly nourished, and is over- 

 worked in throwing out the poisons; so it fails to make 

 the proper changes in food. Then the whole body, in- 

 cluding the stomach, is weakened, and biliousness is pro- 

 duced. At last nature brings on severe sickness, and 

 compels the overworked organs to rest. 



133. Prevention of biliousness. Man has it in his power to 

 prevent almost entirely the evils of indigestion. He should eat only 

 plain food, in moderate quantities, and at regular intervals. He should 

 be careful not to eat when he is tired, or heated, or just before or 

 after hard work. His digestive organs would then furnish a continual 

 supply of perfectly digested food, sufficient for all the cells of the body ; 

 the influences producing disease would be resisted by well-nourished 

 cells, and sickness would be rare. 



134. Regularity of the bowels. The last act of digestion, 

 or the expulsion of waste matters from the intestine, is as 

 important as eating, and should be performed with the 

 same regularity. The mouth and stomach are endowed 

 with feelings which make known their needs, but the 

 intestine has only slight sensibility, and we are unaware 

 of the digestion which is continually going on in it. Only 

 when some irritating food, or a large collection of gas, 

 greatly increases its peristalsis are we aware of its action. 

 At a regular time every day a healthy person feels that 

 the completing act of digestion should be performed, but 

 the sensation will pass away if it is neglected, and in 

 course of time the sensation will be repeated only once 

 in two, three, or even more days. The retention of waste 

 matter all that time cannot fail to do harm. Even if 

 nature does not give the sensation indicating the need of 

 expelling waste matter, the matters need to be expelled, 



