THE PURIFICATION OF THE BLOOD, ETC. oX 



CHAPTER II. 



THE PURIFICATION OF THE BLOOD, ETC. 



While the blood suffers exhaustion in conse- 

 quence of the demands of the system, it at the 

 same time becomes vitiated, and requires purifi- 

 cation ; and this process is effected by the organs 

 of excretion, namely, by the skin, the lungs, 

 and the kidneys. These remove from the blood 

 its vitiated particles, which, if retained, would 

 soon induce disease. The suppression of any 

 excretion is very dangerous ; that of the lungs 

 becomes speedily fatal, for in the latter case the 

 carbon of the venous blood poisons the Avhole 

 mass of the circulating fluid ; the brain dies ; 

 the heart struggles feebly for a few minutes, and 

 then ceases, and all the blood will be found to 

 be black. If the excretion of the kidneys be 

 suppressed, urea accumulates in the blood, 

 fever supervenes, and coma and death follow. 

 Let the secretion of bile in the liver be arrested, 

 the same fatal result ensues ; let its due excre- 

 tion be prevented by any obstruction in the 

 bile-duct, and disease, languor, incapability both 

 of mental and bodily exertion, and indifference 



