170 ANSWERS TO PRACTICAL QUESTIONS 



The blood is not purified in the lungs, and so blue or ve- 

 nous blood fills the vessels. 



18. What are the little "kernels" in the arm-pits ? 



(See Physiology, p. 125.) 



They are the lymphatic glands, which sometimes become 

 swollen. 



19. When we are excessively ivarm, would the ther- 

 mometer show any rise of temperature in the body ? 



(See Physiology, p. 120, note.) 



Probably not. In health, the average temperature of the 

 body does not vary mere than two degrees. 



20. What forces besides that of the heart aid in pro- 

 pelling the blood ? 



(See FLINT'S Physiology The Circulation ; CUTLER'S Analytic Anatomy, etc . 

 p. 166, etseq.) 



The elasticity of the arteries and the veins, the force of 

 capillary attraction in the capillaries, etc. 



21. iriiy can the pulse be best felt in the ivrist ? 



It is, in general, a mere matter of convenience. We can 

 feel it not only in the radial artery at the wrist, but in the 

 carotid of the neck, the temporal of the forehead, the popliteal* 

 in the inner side of the knee, etc. 



22. Wliy are starving people exceedingly sensitive to 

 any jar ? 



The marrow of the bones is absorbed, and hence the shock 

 of a jar is unbroken. The nervous system is also weakened by 

 the general prostration. 



23. Why will friction, an application of horse-radish 

 leaves , or a blister relieve internal congestion ? 



They bring the blood to the surface of the body, and so re- 

 lieve the internal organ. 



* If the hollow of the knee of one leg be allowed to rest upon the knee 

 of the other one, it may be remarked that the point of the suspended foot 

 moves visibly up and down at each beat of the pulse. 



