General Anatomy, Applied to Physiology and Medicine, Vol. 3 (of 3)Bichat, Xavier
Science
General Anatomy, Applied to Physiology and Medicine, Vol. 3 (of 3)
Bichat, Xavier
Human anatomy; Human physiology
This age is that of the organic affections of the glands, of all the
numerous changes of texture, of all the excrescences which destroying
as it were the nature of these organs, transform them into bodies of a
different texture. In infancy, leucophlegmasia is most often produced
by an engorgement of those lymphatic bunches that are called glands,
which resembles tabes mesenterica, the engorgement of the bronchial
glands, &c. In the adult on the contrary, it is with the diseases of
the liver, of the spleen, of the kidneys, that it is most often seen.
IV. _State of the Glandular System in Old Age._
In old age, the glands become more firm and hard. Before that period
even, the glandular system of animals ceases to be used at our tables.
The liver, the kidneys, the spleen, &c. are mixed with the fleshy
texture in common boiled meat, only to communicate to it some salts,
some savoury principles that are foreign to this texture. They are
not eaten, or at least they are not agreeable to the taste. The lungs
which contain so great a quantity of mucous glands, do not afford a
very digestible aliment except those of the calf; those of the ox are
not brought to our tables, especially when the animal is old. I would
observe upon this subject that the muscular and glandular systems are
in an inverse order as it respects digestion, at least in the stewed
state to which they are reduced for nourishment. In fact, the glandular
system has not an agreeable taste and is not very digestible except in
young animals, whilst at this age the muscular is insipid, and does not
become savoury food till towards the middle of life.
In extreme old age, the colour of the glands changes less than that of
most of the other organs. We find the liver, the kidneys, &c. almost
as full of blood as in the adult; they are as red, whilst the muscles
pale and colourless announce by their appearance that but little blood
enters them at the latter periods of life. We might say that this fluid
first abandons the skin and the muscles of animal life which in the
trunk are subjacent to it, and which in the extremities are found very
distant from the heart, or at least that it diminishes much in the two
systems, and is concentrated in the organs in the neighbourhood of
the heart; thus the secretions are still very abundant in old people,
whilst the muscular, nervous forces, &c. are considerably weakened. The
kidneys still secrete much urine; the liver pours out much bile, though
this gland loses in part the kind of predominance it exercised in the
economy towards the fortieth year. We know that the very frequent
catarrhs that then take place, indicate an increase of action in the
mucous glands. The functions of the testicles and mammæ have long since
ceased.
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