THE XOK-CCXNTAGIOUS DISEASES. 203 



perform their work. The liver is unable to convert the 

 glucose into glycogen and too much grape-sugar is per- 

 mitted to circulate through the system. This acts as 

 an irritant and increases the trouble, the liver becomes 

 inflamed and disease follows. This corresponds to the 

 condition of the liver, for it is inflamed and enlarged. 



A diseased stomach irritates the heart and it becomes 

 weak and fluttering. This is often called palpitation. 

 The sympathy between the heart and stomach is close, 

 because the same nerve supplies both organs. A dis- 

 eased stomach and a weak heart cause a feeble circula- 

 tion; a feeble circulation lessens the lung-power, breath- 

 ing is interfered with, less oxygen is taken into the 

 system, the red corpuscles (the oxygen-carriers) become 

 pale and lose their vitalizing influence, less carbonic 

 acid gas is exhaled, the lung-tissue loses its vitality and 

 elasticity from a lack of nourishment, congestion of the 

 lungs follows, producing an unhealthy exudate in the 

 air tubes, followed by more or less cough and expectora- 

 tion. This is bronchitis. 



With a feeble circulation the skin becomes inactive 

 and fails to eliminate. The dense network of vessels 

 which lie just beneath the skin are congested and the 

 circulation sluggish, the glands in the skin become filled 

 with decomposing matter and inflammation and exces- 

 sive secretion results as in eczema, dandruff, and other 

 forms of skin disease. These conditions do not respond 

 readily to treatment; thus proving that the cause is 

 systemic. Boils and carbuncles are produced in the 

 same way. 



Chronic congestion with partial loss of nerve-control 



