The Body at Work: A Treatise on the Principles of PhysiologyHill, Alex
Science
The Body at Work: A Treatise on the Principles of Physiology
Hill, Alex
Physiology
Glycogen is stored in the liver. Fat, if it is assimilated in excess of
the needs of the body, accumulates in the connective tissues. Proteins,
if in excess, are either destroyed by oxidation, or partly destroyed
and partly converted into fat. Increasing the amount and richness of
the food does not, if nutrition is already at its best, improve the
quality of the blood. The surplus of food is either stored or burnt.
The composition of lymph is unaffected. Its quality is not improved by
taking more food than enough. A perfect balance is maintained. Every
cell is able, when conditions are normal, to obtain as much nutriment
as it needs. It cannot get more. It cannot lay by food and shirk work.
If it did it would grow. Reaching its optimum size, it would divide.
Additional tissue would be formed. But when it does more work it needs
more food; and it is a matter of common experience that the system is
so adjusted that food is supplied to the tissues, not reluctantly,
but with a slight tendency towards generosity. Working harder than
usual, they find the lymph by which they are bathed somewhat richer in
the materials that they need than the necessities of the case demand.
They are able not merely to obtain all they want, but a little more.
Activity favours growth.
Many attempts have been made to show that if a part of the body has
more than its share of food it grows to an excessive size. John Hunter
grafted a cock’s spur into its comb. It grew to monstrous dimensions.
Such a result favours the view, but it is not quite conclusive.
Undoubtedly the comb was richly supplied with blood, but it does not
follow that the cells of the spur were able in their new situation
to take advantage of this supply. Besides, the spur when projecting
from the head was not subject to the accidents to which it was
exposed whilst on the leg. Its size was not kept down by friction.
Nor was it as hard and compact as it would have been in its normal
situation. It is scarcely possible to devise any experiment that would
be satisfactory now that the relations between blood and lymph and
lymph and tissues are understood. In certain pathological conditions,
however, hypertrophy is the result of the hyperæmia of chronic
inflammation; and there is little doubt that, if we could arrange for a
certain group of cells to receive lymph richer in food and freer from
waste products than the perfect adjustment of supply to needs normally
allows, the cells would grow.
Under perfectly healthy normal conditions growth can be induced only
by use. Nature supplies the fuel which is used during activity,
and a balance of food available for the construction of additional
machinery. The muscle which is called upon to do work develops a
greater capacity for work.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account