Mind and Body; or, Mental States and Physical Conditions — John Shaqi
Mind and Body; or, Mental States and Physical ConditionsAtkinson, William Walker
Science
Mind and Body; or, Mental States and Physical Conditions
Atkinson, William Walker
Mental suggestion
In the first place, through our glass, we should see the gaping wound
enlarged to gigantic proportions. We should see the torn skin, tissues,
lymphatic and blood vessels, glands, muscles and nerves. We would see
the blood pouring forth washing away the dirt and foreign substances
that have entered the wound. We would then see the messages calling
for help flashing over the living telegraph wires of the nerves, each
nerve-cell rapidly passing the word to its neighbor until the great
sympathetic centres received the call and sounded the alarm and sent
out a "hurry up" call to the cells needed for the repair work. In the
meantime the cells of the blood, coming in contact with the outside
air have begun to coagulate into a sticky substance, which is the
beginning of the scab, the purpose being to close the wound and to
hold the severed parts together. The repair cells having now arrived
at the scene of the accident begin to mend the break. The tissue,
nerve, and muscle cells, on each side of the wound begin to multiply
rapidly, receiving their nourishment from the blood cells, and quickly
a cell bridge is built up until the two severed edges of the wound
are reunited. This bridging is no haphazard process, for the presence
of directing law and order is apparent. The newly-born cells of the
blood-vessels unite with their brothers on the other side, evenly and
in an orderly manner, new tubular channels being formed skillfully. The
cells of the connective tissues likewise grow toward each other, and
unite in the same orderly manner. The nerve-cells repair their broken
lines, just as do a gang of linemen repair the interrupted telegraph
system. The muscles are united in the same way. But mark you this,
there is no mistake in this connecting process--muscle does not connect
with nerve, nor blood-vessel with connective tissue. Finally, the inner
repairs and connections having been completed, the scab disappears and
the cells of the outer skin rebuild the outer covering, and the wound
is healed. This process may occupy a few hours, or many days, depending
upon the character of the wound, but the process is the same in all
cases. The surgeon merely disinfects and cleans the wound, and placing
the parts together allows the cells to perform their healing work, for
no other power can perform the task. The knitting together of a broken
bone proceeds along the same lines--the surgeon places the parts in
juxtaposition, binds the limb together to prevent slipping, and the
cells do the rest.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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