88 PERSONAL APPEARANCES IN HEALTH AND DISEASE. 



as do the gums also, and the other visible mucous mem- 

 branes. A white line on the thin part of the gum, where 

 this stretched over the prominent canine teeth, is an 

 indication of this anaemia. The skin is white and no 

 longer has the flesh tint natural to it. Many troubles 

 arise out of this condition of impoverished blood ; for, 

 being poor in corpuscles and deficient in colouring matter, 

 the functions which these subserve are impaired, and 

 shortness of breath on exertion, caused by the demand of 

 the tissues for oxygen being greater than the small num- 

 ber of oxygen carriers can supply, disturbed and im- 

 perfect digestion, disorders of the mental faculties, sen- 

 sorial derangements, &c., all follow in the train. 



But it may be said that numbers of persons are naturally 

 pale, and apparently bloodless, but yet enjoy good health, 

 with none of these grave discomforts. That is true, 

 but it is only true because their pallor is not the pallor 

 of true anaemia ; it may be dependent upon the condition 

 of the circulation in their skin ; or the skin may be 

 thicker in them than in other folk, who, with no more 

 blood, are yet red-faced and healthy-looking. Then 

 these people do not exhibit the unnatural paleness of the 

 lips or nails, or the mucous membrane under the eyelids 

 the only places where in dark-complexioned thick-skinned 

 people the objective signs of anaemia can be with con- 

 fidence ascertained. 



