A Handbook of Health by Woods Hutchinson (learn to read books .txt) 📖

after it has been applied? 18. Why is it that we do not need to clean a burn? 19. Why is it wise to keep the air from a burn? How may it be done? 20. Why must the dressings be perfectly clean? 21. Why do we need a doctor in the case of a broken bone? 22. If you can't get a doctor, what is to be done? 23. What is a sprain? Tell how to bathe and bandage it. 24. In the case of swallowing poison, why should one drink warm water? 25. What else should be done? 26. What should be given when lye has been swallowed? 27. What is the important thing to remember in any such case? 28. If you fall into deep water, what four things should you remember? 29. Explain carefully just how to revive a person who has been under water. 30. What is the main purpose of this method?

GLOSSARY OF IMPORTANT TERMS USED IN THE BOOK I. Relating to the Body as a Whole

Ab'do men (or ăb dō'mĕn). The cavity of the trunk immediately below the diaphragm.

Car'ti lage. Tough, elastic tissue, generally more or less fibrous; called also gristle (grĭs'l).

Cell. The simplest form of living matter, with power to grow, develop, reproduce itself, and, with others of its kind, build up a living fabric.

Di'a phragm (dī'ȧ frăm). The muscular membrane that separates the thorax from the abdomen.

Duct. A tube through which fluid from a gland is conveyed.

Fa tigue' (fȧ tēg'). A condition in which the body cells are worn out faster than they are built up, so that waste matter accumulates in the body and poisons it.

Germ. The simplest form of life, from which a living organism develops.

Gland. A part, or organ, that has the power of making a secretion, peculiar to itself. A gland may be a simple pocket, or follicle, as is an oil gland of the skin, or it may be an aggregate of such glands, as is the liver.

Or'gan. Any part, or member, that has some specific function, or duty, by which some one of the body's activities is carried on; for example, the eye is the organ of vision, the liver is one of the organs of digestion.

Tho'rax. The cavity of the trunk immediately above the diaphragm.

Tis'sue (tĭsh'ū). A fabric, or texture, composed of cells and cell-products of one kind; as, for example, nervous tissue, muscular tissue, fatty tissue.

Se cre'tion. A substance made from the blood, the special character of which depends upon the kind of gland that makes, or secretes, it.

II. Relating to the Digestive System

Al i men'ta ry ca nal'. The food tube, or digestive tube, extending from lips and nose to the end of the rectum, with its various branches and attachments.

Bile. A yellow, bitter, alkaline liquid secreted by the liver, and especially valuable in the digestion of fats; sometimes called gall.

Co'lon. The large intestine.

Di ges'tion. The process in the body by which food is changed to the form in which it can pass from the alimentary canal to the blood vessels and lymphatics.

Di ges'tive sys'tem. The alimentary canal with all its branches and appendages; that is, all the organs that directly take part in the process of digestion.

E soph'a gus. The tube through which food and drink pass from the pharynx to the stomach; called also the gul'let.

Gall blad'der. The bile bladder; the sac, or reservoir, lying on the under side of the liver, in which the bile is received from the liver, and in which it is retained until discharged through the gall duct into the small intestine.

Gas'tric juice. The digestive liquid secreted by the glands of the stomach (pep'tic glands); it contains pepsin, acid, and ferments; called also peptic juice.

In tes'tine. The last part of the alimentary canal, extending from the pylorus. Its length is five or six times that of the body. The greater part of its length is called the small intestine in distinction from the remaining part, which, though much shorter, is larger in diameter, and is called the large intestine or co'lon. The intestine as a whole is sometimes called the bow'el.

Liv'er. The large gland that secretes bile and is active in changing or killing harmful substances; located in the upper part of the abdominal cavity, on the right side, and folds over on the pyloric end of the stomach.

Lym phat'ics. Small transparent tubes running through the various tissues, and containing a colorless fluid somewhat thinner than blood, called lymph. This fluid is composed of the leakage from the arteries and of wastes from the tissues, which are being carried to a larger lymph duct to be emptied into one of the larger veins. The lymphatics in the wall of the intestine take up some of the digested food from the cells and pass it on through the lymph glands of the abdomen to the lymph duct which empties into a vein near the heart.

Mas ti ca'tion. The process of grinding, or chewing, food in the mouth.

Mes'en ter y. The tissue (part of the peritoneum) which is attached to the intestine and, for a few inches, to the spinal column, to hold the coils of the intestine in place.

Mu'cous mem'brane. The lining membrane, or tissue, of the entire alimentary canal. It is very complex in structure, has different characteristics in different areas, and contains nerves, blood vessels, lymphatics, and in various parts special structures such as glands. It secretes mucous. It is continuous with the outside skin of the body, as may be seen at the lips.

Pan'cre as. The gland that secretes the pancreatic juice; located in the abdominal cavity near the stomach.

Pan cre at'ic juice. An alkaline digestive juice poured by the pancreas into the small intestine; especially valuable in the digestion of starches, fats, and proteins.

Per i to ne'um. The membrane lining the abdominal cavity and enfolding its organs.

Phar'ynx. The passage between the nasal passages and the esophagus: the throat.

Py lor'us. (1) The opening from the stomach into the small intestine. (2) The fold of mucous membrane, containing muscle fibres, that helps to regulate the passage of food through the pyloric opening.

Sa li'va. The digestive secretion in the mouth, consisting of the secretion of the salivary glands and the secretion of the mucous membrane of the mouth.

Stom'ach. The pouch-like enlargement of the alimentary canal, lying in the upper part of the abdominal cavity, and slightly to the left, between the esophagus and the small intestine.

III. Relating to Food and Drink

Ac'id (ăs'ĭd). A substance (usually sour tasting) that has, among other properties, the power of combining with an alkali in such a way that both substances lose their peculiar characteristics and form a salt.

Al'co hol. A colorless liquid formed by the fermentation of starch-sugars or certain other substances, which is highly inflammable and burns without smoke or waste; it is a stimulant and an antiseptic.

Al'ka li. A substance that has, among other properties, the power of neutralizing acids and forming salts with them. (See Acid.)

Car'bo hy'drates. Plant or animal substances composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. (Called also starch-sugars.)

Chlo'ro phyll. The green coloring matter of plants, formed by the action of sunlight on the plant cells. It is a necessary part of the plant's digestive system, since without it the plant could not break up the carbon dioxid of the air into the carbon which it uses in preparing its starch food, and the oxygen which it gives off as waste.

Fer men ta'tion. A chemical change in plant or animal substance, produced usually by the action of bacteria, in the process of which the substance is broken up (decomposed), and new substances are formed.

Nar cot'ic. Any substance that blunts the senses, or the body's sensibility to pain or discomfort.

Ni'tro gen. A tasteless, odorless, colorless gas, forming nearly four-fifths of the earth's atmosphere; and constituting a necessary part of every plant and animal tissue.

Pro'te ins. Foods containing a large amount of nitrogen; such as meat, fish, milk, egg, peas, beans.

IV. Relating to the Blood and the Circulatory System

A or'ta. The main artery of the body; it leads out from the left ventricle of the heart, carrying arterialized blood (blood that has been acted upon by oxygen) to all parts of the body except the lungs.

Ar'te ries. The blood vessels and their branches that carry blood from the heart to all parts of the body. The pul'mon a ry artery carries impure (ve'nous) blood to the lungs.

Au'ri cles (ô'rĭ klz). The two chambers of the heart that receive blood from the veins.

Cap'il la ries. The minute blood vessels which form a network between the ends of the arteries and the beginnings of the veins.

Cir cu la'tion. The passage of the blood from the heart into the arteries, and from them through the capillaries into the veins, and through the veins back into the heart.

Cor'pus cles (cor'pŭs'lz). Minute jelly-like disks or cells. These are of two kinds, red and white, the red (the oxygen carriers) being about 350 times as many as the white, and giving the blood its color.

Heart. A muscle-sac located in the thorax between the lungs, its lower point, or a'pex, being tilted somewhat to the left; the centre and force-pump of the circulatory system.

Ox i da'tion. Combining with oxygen.

Ox'y gen. A colorless, odorless, tasteless gas, which forms about one-fifth of the earth's atmosphere. It is found in all animal and vegetable tissues. When it combines with other substances, a certain amount of heat is produced; and if the process is sufficiently rapid, a flame is seen.

Pulse. The regularly recurring enlargement of an artery, caused by the increased blood flow following each contraction of the ventricle of the heart.

Veins. The blood vessels and their branches through which blood flows from all parts of the body back to the heart. All the veins except the pulmonary veins carry impure (venous) blood; the pulmonary veins carry arterialized (oxidated) blood from the lungs. Ve'na ca'va. Either of the two large veins discharging into the right auricle of the heart. Por'tal vein. The large, short vein that drains the liver and adjacent parts.

Ven'tri cles. The two chambers of the heart that receive blood from the auricles and force it into the arteries.

V. Relating to the Respiratory System and Organs of Excretion

Al ve'o li (ăl vē'o lī). (Plural of alveolus). Air cells. The cells, or cavities, that line the air passages and air sacs at the ends of the bronchial tubes.

Breath. Air taken in or sent out in respiration; that breathed out containing carbon dioxid, watery vapor, and various impurities.

Bron'chi (brǒn'kī). (Plural of bronchus). The two main branches of the trachea. These branch into numerous smaller branches, called the bron'chi al tubes.

Car'bon di ox'id. A gas formed of carbon and oxygen; colorless and odorless; has a somewhat acid taste, and is used for aerating soda water and other beverages; is present naturally in mineral and spring waters. It is present largely in the fissures of the earth and makes the choke-damp of mines. Called also car bon'ic acid.

Ep i glot'tis. The valve-like cover that prevents food and drink from entering the larynx.

Ex cre'tion. A waste substance thrown out, or rejected, from the system; for example, carbon dioxid, sweat, ur'ine, the fe'ces.

Lar'ynx. The enlargement of the windpipe, near its upper end, across which are stretched the vocal cords.

Lungs. Two spongy organs in the thorax, entered by the bronchi with their bronchial tubes; they contain in the walls of their air cells the capillaries through which the blood passes from the branches of the pulmonary artery to the branches of the pulmonary veins.

Rec'tum. The lowest and last section of the alimentary canal, being the discharge pipe of the large intestine, and excreting the solid wastes in the form of the feces.

Res pi ra'tion. Breathing; the action of the body by which carbon dioxid is given off from the blood and a corresponding amount of oxygen