106 
PATHOLOGY. 
thofe on which many individuals live almoft entirely ; the 
fugar being nearly their only nourifhment; this obferva- 
tion holds with regard to dates in 1 'ome of the African 
tribes, grapes in fome parts of Portugal and Spain, and 
figs in Greece and the Grecian iflands. 
Exprefl'ed oils, found in vegetables, are alfo capable of 
being digefted ; the feeds containing them, and especially 
nuts, are in many inftances the principal food of the in¬ 
habitants of a country, as cocoa-nuts in America and 
the Eaft. Thefe feeds indeed contain farinaceous matter, 
but in too ftnall proportion to afford nourifhment of it- 
felf. The oily animal fluids alfo afford nourifhment; the 
molt common fource of thefe is the fat of meat and butter, 
but fome of the Ruffians and the Greenlanders drink 
with avidity fpermaceti and train oil. 
As rules for diet and exercife are attended to chiefly 
by valetudinarians and the aged, we fhall notice a publi¬ 
cation which appeared in the year 1758, called “The 
Old Man’s Guide to Health and longer Life.” The au¬ 
thor very properly divides his old men into two regi¬ 
ments, the thin and the grofs, to each of which he pre- 
lcribes a different regimen; the following rule, however, 
being common to both; “Ufe no butter at breakfaft, if 
you wifli to preferve an appetite for dinner ; and, in pro¬ 
portion as you ufe more or lefs (butter), fo will your 
feelings be.” The author goes on ; “ The grofs old man 
fhould take his exercife chiefly in the forenoon, with as 
little nourifhment as poflible ; the thin old man fhould 
have a light breakfaft, but take his exercife after dinner. 
The thin old man cannot fleep in the morning ; the grofs 
man cannot rife early, unlefs he fleeps in the day-time.” 
The frequent notices in newfpapers of individual in¬ 
ftances of extreme old age, as well living as dead, have 
led us fo think that much ufeful information might be 
elicited from a narration of the molt elfential circumftan- 
ces ami habits of life of thofe who have thus fo greatly 
exceeded the ordinary limits of human exiftence ; fuch 
particulars, for inftance, as quantity and quality of food ; 
degrees of abftinence and indulgence in animal or intel¬ 
lectual enjoyments ; of exercife and labour, or of feden- 
tary inactivity ; and laftly, the proportions of health and 
ficknefs. Now, although great uncertainty may arife in 
afcertaining the accurate truth of many faCts, through 
the traditionary nature of the fources from whence they 
muft be collected, yet, among thofe who furnifh editors 
of newfpapers or other publications with cafes of long 
life, enough might be obtained, by any one interefted in 
the fubjeCt, to throw' great light on the at-prefent dif- 
puted queftion of relative caufes, and might tend to efta- 
blifli, at leaft with greater probability than yet exifts, the 
quantum of influence which the moral and habitual ope¬ 
rations and regulations of the animal economy poffefs 
over the peculiar idiofyncracy of that economy itfelf. 
We are not, certainly, fo fanguine as to expeCt from any 
combination of faCts, however numerous and well at- 
tefted, that mankind will ever regain the art of living to 
Methufelah’s age ; no, certainly not; thofe were the days 
of miracle, long lince found ufelefs : but if, from a com¬ 
panion of a multiplicity of various and oppoling truths, 
fome certain general principles could be difcovered, on 
which the prefervation of human life, and, what is Hill 
infinitely of more importance than mere length of life, its 
healthful fecurity from the afflictions of bodily difeafe 
and moral fuffering, could be proved to depend ; then, 
inftead of merely exciting a momentary feeling of wonder, 
like the prelent barren ftatement of the years an individual 
has held his being, fuch a concentration of prominent 
circumftances attendant on lengthened exiftence would 
become the precurfor of a new era, both in the fcience 
of medicine and in that of the happinefsand well-being 
of univerfal man. We are aware that the relater of any 
inftance of longevity could do little more than colleCt 
the circumftances connected with it: to combine and de¬ 
duce muft be the work of a mind in full pofleffion of the 
aggregate mafs of particulars, and qualified to draw in¬ 
ferences from them. 
After diet and exercife, the remaining numerous caufes 
of difeafe in the digeftive organs refolve themfelves for the 
moft part into the effeCts of fympathy w'ith or dependance 
on the aCtion of various other parts. The cerebral ftruc- 
ture forms one of the leading and moft important. It 
were of little importance to fpeak here of the numerous 
complaints incidental to men of ftudious habits. It muft 
be expefted that, feeing that mufcular contraction acts 
a very important part in the human frame, and that 
the force of that action is increafed (within certain limits) 
in proportion to its exercife, therefore indolence muft be 
productive of hindrance to the due performance of vaf- 
cularand abforbent functions of the body. It is further 
to be confidered that nervous influence is neceflary to 
fecretion ; and on fecretion the hunger, digeftion, &c. 
may be faid to depend. Now, it is well known that the 
intenfe aCtion of the brain in performing mental pheno¬ 
mena do effentially and fometimes completely difturb the 
tranfmiflion of nervous influence. Of this we have the 
moft frequent examples. Every one knows how often 
enthufiafts in fcien-ce are led to forget the precife hours 
of refrefliment, and how much the man of literature in 
this refpeCt differs from the bon vivant. It would feem 
(to ufe a figurative expreflion) that the brain was fo ab- 
lorbed in the fubliinity of thought, that it had no time 
to perform its corporeal and coarfer funftions. But of 
courfe thefe functions are requifite in the higheft degree, 
and the non-performance of them fubjeCts the ftudious 
man to difficult and uneafy digeftion; and fhould there¬ 
fore be encouraged by regular habits and by mufcular 
aCtion. 
On the other hand, the want of due aCtion in the ra- 
tiocinative powers feems to allow increafed nervous fup- 
ply to the fecreting organs. Thus many mentally-indo- 
lent perfons have voracious appetites ; and indeed we 
cannot help thinking that the amazing digefting powers 
manifefted by our peafantry (in the generality of whom 
we fee correfponding inactivity of mind) depends in a 
great meafure on the unexercifed ftate of the intellect. 
This propofition it would be perhaps difficult to demon- 
ftrate, becaufe the faCts under confideraticn may be ex¬ 
plained on other grounds. It is worthy of remark, how¬ 
ever, that we fee none of this exceftive defire for food ma¬ 
nifefted by men who, engaged in occupations equally la¬ 
borious and healthy as the ploughman’s, are called upon 
moreover by neceffity or ftimulated by education to the 
exertion of their minds. 
It has been aflerted more than once, that abftinence 
fits the mind for increafed exertion. This notion can 
only be admitted with fome reftriCtion. To a great de¬ 
gree it is undoubtedly true, becaufe, according to our 
prefent methods of life, it may be reckoned that the ge¬ 
nerality of perfons are inclined to a plethoric ftate of 
the vefiels of the head, and hence a low kind of living may, 
to a certain point, tend to revivify the exhaufted brain. 
This beneficial refult may arife too from tranquillity 
being reftored to the extenfive nervous expanfions of an 
irritated ftomach, which propagated their morbid con¬ 
dition to the brain ; or, again, it may prevent for a time 
the fupply of noxious materia to the vafcular fyftem of 
the brain. In the latter mode efpecially it is probable 
its effeCt is very frequent; for there is ftrong ground to 
conjecture that many mental diforders arife from the laft 
caufe. The effeCt which the deranged liver produces on 
the brain can only be accounted for on the fame fuppo- 
fition ; i. e. that of abforption and local application. 
This agency of the liver on the head is corroborated by 
the refpeCted teftimony of Dr. James Johnfon. See his 
work “ On the Dileales of Tropical Climates,” p. 189. 
He fays, fpeaking of hepatic derangements, “ The whole 
of the literary world, from the poet in his garret to the 
learned prefident in his hail, feel more or lefs of its ef¬ 
fects. 
