The principles of physiology applied to the preservation of health, and to the improvement of physical and mental education - Softcover

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1842 Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XV. APPLICATION OF THE PRECEDING PRINCIPLES TO THE ORIGIN AND PREVENTION OF BAD HEALTH. Causes of bad health.--Not always the result of moral or Immoral conduct,--nor of accident,--but of the infringement of the laws of organization.--Proofs from past history.--Diminished mortality from increase of knowledge, and better fulfilment of the conditions of health.--The expeditions of Anson and Cook contrasted--Gratifying results of the sanatory arrangements of Ross, Parry, and Franklin.--Mortality among the Convicts at Milbank Penitentiary and Woolwich a contrast to these.--Pulmonary diseases in the Channel fleet, from ignorance of physiology.--Causes of late improvement.--Conditions of wealthier and poorer classes compared--Good done by the apprehension of Cholera.--Influence of habit.--Advantage of knowing the true sources of bad health.--Evils of ignorance exemplified in the recruiting service.--General remarks. The reader will now be prepared to take a correct view of a question on which it especially interests us to have true and precise notions. I allude to the real origin of bad health. On this point, very vague and contradictory opinions are prevalent; and, as our conduct in life must necessarily be closely dependent on our views in regard to this subject, I cannot do better, before concluding, than devote a chapter to its consideration. Setting aside, for the present, hereditary tendencies to disease (which must have begun at first with some progenitor from ordinary causes, and which, therefore, are not really unconnected with the inquiry), bad health may be regarded in one of three different lights: First, As having no necessary connection with our conduct, but as being the result of circumstances entirely beyond our knowledge and control, and ...