of the operation as to all this, which constitutes 

 the very kernel of the nut, and without which the 

 shell is nought, he is in worse than Cimmerian 

 darkness. 



Having read my brother's letter, and digested 

 its contents, I was forcibly struck with the truth of 

 his remarks, and felt that he really had just cause 

 for lamentation. I then conceived, that a small 

 concise work, clearly explaining, in common lan- 

 guage, the nature of the animal economy the 

 mechanics of the internal man the mechanism of 

 life, detailing, step by step, what actually takes 

 place in the performance of each of the functions 

 concerned in the preservation of life and health, 

 and how, and by what causes, life is sustained it 

 struck me, I say, that such a work would be 

 highly acceptable to the public, and would supply 

 a desideratum in the minor scientific literature of 

 the country. 



There is no mystery into which mankind are 

 more curious to pry than into that of their internal 

 structure; and certainly there is none on earth 

 which so nearly concerns them. There are many 

 books written with a view to give men a general 



