190 ANSWERS TO PRACTICAL QUESTIONS 



The blood then sets toward the stomach, and the whole 

 strength of the system is needed to properly digest the food. 



27. What produces the peristaltic movement of the 

 stomach ? 



The presence of the food which, through the sympathetic 

 system, acting involuntarily, sets in motion the complicated 

 apparatus of digestion. 



28. Why is a healthy child so restless and full of mis- 

 chief? 



Nature prompts it to exercise all the muscles in its body in 

 order to their proper development. 



29. Why is a slight blow on the bach of a rabbit's neclt 

 fatal ? 



The medulla oblongata is not defended with thick muscles 

 as in man. 



30. Why can one walk and carry on a conversation at 

 the same time ? 



(See Question 13.) 



31. IVJiat are the dangers of over-study ? 



(See HINTON'S Health and Us Conditions, p. 193, et seq., and CUTLER'S Ana- 

 lytical Anatomy, p. 248 ; also, Physiology, p. 331.) 



Exhaustive mental labor overstrains the delicate nerve-cells 

 of the brain, and the condition of the blood-vessels of the en- 

 tire body, especially of the vital organs, is regulated, moment 

 by moment, by its changing moods. Even the supply furnished 

 the brain is subject to the same influence. Hence results de- 

 ranged nutrition, impaired circulation, and weakened brain and 

 body. Whenever we consume vital energy faster than it can 

 be replaced, we encroach upon the capital, and thus cause an 

 irreparable injury. 



32. What is the influence of idleness upon the brain ? 



If we would have healthy bodies we must have active 

 brains, that the streams of force may flow into every organ 

 from a full, fresh, energizing source. "The perfect health of a 

 man is not that of an ox or a horse." The proper exercise of 

 the brain is an essential element of real life. 



