Indigestion is most often brought about by interference with a marvelous piece of engineering contained in 30 to 32 feet of continuous hollow tubing called the alimentary canal.
In this system the food is• broken down, churned, diluted, dissolved and chemically split into simpler compounds which can be absorbed into the blood.
The alimentary canal is formed of membrane which has to resist a chemistry that dissolves hone, gristle, animal and vegetable matter far tougher than the membrane itself. The stomach’s gastric juice, one of the chief agents in digestion, has a high concentration of hydro-chloric acid. This can dissolve a hard-boiled egg in a few minutes.
Why does it not dissolve the stomach? One reason seems to be that the stomach secretes not only acid but also ammonia, an equally powerful alkali which acts as a neutralizing agent.
The powerful gastric juice can be hindered by many causes, with the result that we may get the pains we know as indigestion.
The alimentary canal makes its preparations for a meal well in advance. The sight and smell and even the thought of food set the salivary and gastric juices flowing, while the stomach blushes in anticipation as the glands begin working and the capillaries widen to bring in an extra blood supply for the activity of digestion.
But the prospect of an unappetizing meal or disagreeable company, and the emotions of worry, irritation, anger and fear may stop these preparations. They may even cause the stomach to• turn pale. Indigestion is the result.
We may also get indigestion if we eat too quickly, without chewing our food or eat too many foods which are difficult to digest, thus overloading and disrupting the system.
Why do we have a brain?
The brain directs and coordinates movements and reflexes, registers sensations and is the supreme nervous organ by which’ man acquires knowledge and the power to use and adapt it. It shapes our personalities, and without it we would be more helpless than the tiniest human baby.
There are three main parts of the brain: the fore brain (or cerebrum), the mid brain and the hind brain. They have the consistency of soft jelly and are protected by three membranes (meninges), a tough outer envelope called the dura and a watery -fluid (cerebrospinal fluid) which acts as a support and a cushion. The brain is connected to the spinal cord, and its surface is highly convoluted.
The cerebrum, which forms nearly nine-tenths of the brain, is divided into two halves (hemispheres). Generally the left half of the cerebrum controls the right half of the body, and the right half of the cerebrum controls the left half of the body. Some areas are connected with the special senses of man, but there are so called “silent areas” which scientists believe are connected with memory and the association of ideas. The thalamus, a mass of grey matter which is buried in the cerebrum, is the source of instinctive feeling and emotion.
The mid brain is concerned with eye-movements, while the hind brain contains the nerve cells responsible for breathing, heart action, digestive juices and so on. The cerebellum, a part of the hind brain, plays an important role in the execution of the more highly skilled movements.
There are three main parts of the brain: the fore brain (or cerebrum), the mid brain and the hind brain. They have the consistency of soft jelly and are protected by three membranes (meninges), a tough outer envelope called the dura and a watery -fluid (cerebrospinal fluid) which acts as a support and a cushion. The brain is connected to the spinal cord, and its surface is highly convoluted.
The cerebrum, which forms nearly nine-tenths of the brain, is divided into two halves (hemispheres). Generally the left half of the cerebrum controls the right half of the body, and the right half of the cerebrum controls the left half of the body. Some areas are connected with the special senses of man, but there are so called “silent areas” which scientists believe are connected with memory and the association of ideas. The thalamus, a mass of grey matter which is buried in the cerebrum, is the source of instinctive feeling and emotion.
The mid brain is concerned with eye-movements, while the hind brain contains the nerve cells responsible for breathing, heart action, digestive juices and so on. The cerebellum, a part of the hind brain, plays an important role in the execution of the more highly skilled movements.
What happens when we eat something very salty?
‘Oh, I am thirsty! What have I eaten to make me so thirsty?’ This is certainly something you will have said, if not heard. The culprit is usually very salty food: like too many crisps. What has happened to this salt? During digestion, the salt passes into the blood. If there is too much salt in the blood, the alarm is given by the organs checking the blood’s composition. This alarm is transmitted to the thirst center in the brain. Only water taken in from outside the body can dilute this excess of salt, and remove it via the kidneys. But whilst waiting for a feeling of thirst to appear, and particularly whilst waiting for it to be quenched, water is drawn from the fluid which bathes the blood cells, and some salt passes into this fluid. The water will be replaced in this fluid, shortly after a drink has been taken.
The habit of eating very salty food can cause a reaction in the body: the fluid in which the cells are bathed becomes more plentiful, the tissues ‘swell’, particularly those under the skin. This swelling, often noticeable in ankles and fingers, is caused by excess salt. It is neither healthy nor nice to look at. In addition, the control mechanisms which keep the salt level in the blood normal, may introduce a secretion, or hormone, which increases the blood pressure. This increase in blood pressure is called ‘hypertension’. It may be slight, brief and not dangerous. Or it may become permanent and cause many health problems. This is the reason why someone with high blood pressure is put on to a salt-free diet. This may be enough to reduce the pressure, if it is caused solely by poor eating habits.
The habit of eating very salty food can cause a reaction in the body: the fluid in which the cells are bathed becomes more plentiful, the tissues ‘swell’, particularly those under the skin. This swelling, often noticeable in ankles and fingers, is caused by excess salt. It is neither healthy nor nice to look at. In addition, the control mechanisms which keep the salt level in the blood normal, may introduce a secretion, or hormone, which increases the blood pressure. This increase in blood pressure is called ‘hypertension’. It may be slight, brief and not dangerous. Or it may become permanent and cause many health problems. This is the reason why someone with high blood pressure is put on to a salt-free diet. This may be enough to reduce the pressure, if it is caused solely by poor eating habits.
Why are we not actually running, when we dream that we are running?
The movements we make to walk, get hold of things, even to scratch the end of our nose ... are controlled by nerve impulses coming from the Grey cortex of the brain. These instructions are transmitted by a nerve impulse, a kind of electrical current, which passes at a varying rate through the white nerve fibers in the brain, the brain stem, the spinal cord and nerves going to the muscles.
When we dream that we are running, rock-climbing or swimming, a part of the brain stem concerned with movement sends out a message damping down all the main muscles of the body. This means that any movement instructions the brain is sending out during a dream do not get beyond the brain stem.
We move in our sleep, we turn over, our limbs twitch and our eyes are very active while we are dreaming. But the movements we are dreaming of are completely neutralized. Sometimes, the instruction suggested in a dream is so strong that the centers in the brain stem are momentarily overwhelmed by the strength of the nerve impulses. In this instance they allow part of the instruction to get through, but this has the effect of awakening us immediately. In young children, the nerve centers are not fully operational. They are still not quite ‘mature’. They allow some slight movements to escape, resulting in sleep-talking or laughter. This also happens in adults, but less often.
When we dream that we are running, rock-climbing or swimming, a part of the brain stem concerned with movement sends out a message damping down all the main muscles of the body. This means that any movement instructions the brain is sending out during a dream do not get beyond the brain stem.
We move in our sleep, we turn over, our limbs twitch and our eyes are very active while we are dreaming. But the movements we are dreaming of are completely neutralized. Sometimes, the instruction suggested in a dream is so strong that the centers in the brain stem are momentarily overwhelmed by the strength of the nerve impulses. In this instance they allow part of the instruction to get through, but this has the effect of awakening us immediately. In young children, the nerve centers are not fully operational. They are still not quite ‘mature’. They allow some slight movements to escape, resulting in sleep-talking or laughter. This also happens in adults, but less often.
What was a Sedan chair?
A Sedan was a covered chair on two poles, which was carried through the streets by two’ men. The chair was box-shaped, with two windows and a door, and the roof was made so that it could be lifted should the passenger wish to stand in the chair -rather a dangerous thing to do! The porters carried the’ chair by the two long poles between which the chair was fixed, and this kind of transport was popular in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The name comes from the French town of Sedan, where this kind of transport is said to have originated.
Which tree’s name derives from the old Norse word ron and the Gaelic rhuadan, and why?
The rowan. These words both mean red and describe the rowan’s distinctive scarlet berries. The rowan ‘grows on mountains and in highland regions, and is a small, sturdy tree with attractive feathery leaves. Rowan trees are believed to be lucky and were planted to keep witches away. Their berries are too acid to be eaten raw, but make delicious jellies.
What was the Black Death?
The worst epidemic known to mankind was the Black Death which killed an, estimated 75,000,000 people during its most serious outbreak in 1347-51. Originating in the ports of the Black Sea, it reached• Italy, and spread throughout Europe.
The infectious organism• was Bacillus Pestis, transmitted to man by fleas’ from the black rat. It caused a sudden onset of chills, fever, headaches and body pains, black or pink swellings known as buboes, madness and almost certain death. Approximately one in three Europeans died.
Outbreaks of the black death - whether bubonic, pneumonic, or septicaemic plague - ravaged Europe recurrently until the late 17th century. Although virtually unknown today, isolated cases still occur.
The infectious organism• was Bacillus Pestis, transmitted to man by fleas’ from the black rat. It caused a sudden onset of chills, fever, headaches and body pains, black or pink swellings known as buboes, madness and almost certain death. Approximately one in three Europeans died.
Outbreaks of the black death - whether bubonic, pneumonic, or septicaemic plague - ravaged Europe recurrently until the late 17th century. Although virtually unknown today, isolated cases still occur.
