256 



STRUCTURE OF THE HUMAN BODY. 



LESSON 117. 



Structui'c of the Human Body. 



Car'tilage, gristle. Ad'ipose, fatty- 



Ten'dons, hard, insensible cords,' by means of which muscular 

 fibres are attached to bone«. 



Dr. Hunter gives the following beautiful representation 

 of the structure of the human body, with reference to all the 

 wants and requisites of such a being- as man, in answer to a 

 supposed objector, who asks why a more simple, less deli- 

 cate, and less expansive frame had not been adoj)ted. First, 

 says he, the mind, the thinking, immaterial agent, must be 

 provided with a place of immediate residence, which shall 

 have all the requisites for the union of spirit and body ; ac- 

 cordingly, she is provided with the brain, where she dwells 

 as governor and superintendent of the whole fabric. In the 

 next place, as she is to hold a correspondence with all the 

 material beings around her, she must be supplied with or- 

 gans fitted to receive the different kinds of impression which 

 they will make. In fact, therefore, we see that she is pro- 

 vided with the organs of sense, as we call them ; the eye is 

 adapted to light ; the ear to sound ; the nose to smell ; the 

 mouth to taste ; and the skin to touch. Further, she must 

 be furnished with organs of communication betw een herself 

 in the brain, and those organs of sense ; to give her infor- 

 mation of all the impressions that are made upon them ; and 

 ahe must have organs between herself in the brain, and 

 every other part of the body fitted to convey her commands 

 and influence over the whole. For these purposes the nerves 

 are actually given. They are soft white chords which rise 

 from the brain, the immediate residence of the mind, and 

 disperse themselves, in branches, through all parts of the 

 body. They convey all the different kinds of sensations to 

 the mind in the brain ; and likewise carry out of thence all 

 her commands to the other parts of the body. They are in- 

 teamed to be occasional monitors against all such impressions 

 as might endanger tlie well-being of the whole, or of any 

 particular port ; which vindicates the Creator of all things, 

 in having actually subjected us to those many disagreeable 

 and painful sensations which we are exposed to from a thou- 

 sand accidents in life. 



