j66 Human Physiology. 



but general disease? The whole nervous system must suffer, 

 and its suffering is expressed in weakness, pain, ringing in the 

 ears, weakness and disorder of the eyes, toothaches, neural- 

 gias, imperfect action of the skin, and. many local maladies. 

 With dyspepsia the body cannot be properly nourished ; with 

 constipation it is not properly cleansed ; and the waste ma tter 

 which should pass off freely every day is retained in the system, 

 thrown upon the lungs, skin, and kidneys, to disease them, and 

 clogs and disorders the whole economy., The current of life is 

 filled with impurities and the matter of disease. 



The causes of dyspepsia are bad diet, bad air, and nervous 

 exhaustion. By bad diet I mean too much food, unhealthy, 

 diseased and diseasing food, and stimulants. Bad air makes 

 bad blood, and bad blood makes bad nerves and bad secretion 

 of the digestive fluids. Nervous exhaustion saps the forces 

 of life. When amative excess has weakened the nervous 

 power, and stimulants are taken to excite the system, and the 

 stomach is loaded with the abominations of a luxurious table, 

 with its sauces, and pastries, its grease and condiments, what 



^can be expected but exhaustion and disorder in the entire 

 digestive apparatus? When the stomach is fevered, overtasked, 

 its tone weakened, and its secretions disordered, what can be 

 expected of the small and large intestines which must sympa- 

 thise with this disorder? If the nutritive matter be not digested, 

 and absorbed, and converted into good blood, health is im- 

 possible. If the waste matter of the body cannot find its way 

 out, if the sewers are clogged, the pumps cease to act, and the 

 whole machinery of purification lies torpid, very serious conse- 

 quences must follow. There is in many cases a direct cause 

 of constipation, which seems to be partly of a mechanical 

 character, in the nature of the diet. Certain kinds of food are 

 constipating, others are relaxing that is, they promote the 



. action of the bowels. Concentrated aliment, as eggs, cheese, 

 fine flour bread, and pastry, are constipating, not from what 



