A Lesson in Anatomy.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 132, 5 June 1937, Page 3

A Lesson in Anatomy.

I am always talking to you for your good, and this week I propose to give you a little lecture on anatomy. What is anatomy? Why, the structure of the human body. The body is divided into head, trunk and limbs, and the trunk is divided into an upper part or chest and a lower part or abdomen. The structure that separates the chest from the abdomen is a more or less flat sheet of muscle called the diaphragm or midriff. In the process of breathing, the diaphragm moves up and down. When you take your breath in, it moves down, compressing the contents of the abdomen, and when you let your breath out again, it rises. Now, if you have a cough, or you are getting old. and your breath is rather short ,it is important that the diaphragm should have ample scope to move up and down freely. If it cannot move down as far as it wants to, a feeling of suffocation is experienced and in some cases the patient may gasp for breath. Suppose, then, a doctor examines you thoroughly and finds that your lungs are slightly out of order, and that nothing can be done to restore them to their former healthy condition, but that your digestion is upset so that you make much wind, he will direct all his attention to the regulations of your diet and your bowels. This makes you cross. “I told that silly doctor that my breath was short, and instead of treating my chest he treated my stomach; I shan’t go to him again.” But now I hope you see that if the doctor can get rid of the wind for you the abdomen will not be so blown out, and our trusted

friend, the diaphragm will be able to descends to its full extent. Look to the Teeth. The different parts of the body are so closely connected by* the bloodstream which flows through them all, and also by the nerves and lymphatics, that disease of one organ may give rise to an affection of some distant part of the body. Disease of the kidneys is a common cause of a grave affection of the eyes, especially in elderly people. An abscess of the foot may cause the brain to be delirious. A festering corn in the foot often results in an abscess in the groin. In the same way the throat, nose, ears and mouth are all closely connected, and disease of one causes disease of any of the others. For instance, the teeth of the upper jaw run up into the bones of the face and nose, and an unpleasant discharge from the nostrils often owes its real origin to some long-neglected foul stumps in the upper jaw. A dischange from the gums or teeth may easily infect the tonsils at the back of the throat, and the enlargement of the tonsils affects the hearing because there is a narrow passage called the Eustachian tube which runs from the back of the tonsils into the ear. This explains how bad teeth affect the ears.