| Show I I f. f I r r c cI I I 1 F tin d men t a I If lj 1 i of t I 4 t f n Iea I i h i A H L f t li cT pc 54 F f t 54 i r Ic 54 c 54 E By Dy ALBERT S. S GRA GRAY YM M. M D D. f c d oc o Copyright ht 1914 by A. A S. S Gray ANEMIA Life and health are among our most familiar words and In their ordinary meaning probably no DO words are more widely understood and yet in specific application no terms are more difficult to express and comprehend It Is generally understood that life consists in an ability to change and to adapt to environment and anel probably it will willbe willbe willbo be bo generally agreed that health Is 19 an Individual condition of sound mind normal bod body absence ence of disease and anda and anda a normal blood supply Few of us ever get very far along lifes life's highway without departing In somo some degree from this ideal condition condition condi condi- tion and few ever fully it tt once it is lost largely because we do donot donot donot not understand what we nave lost where we wo lost It ft why we lost It It how we lost It or how it may be regained The chief characteristic of disease Is loss of physical strength and of color and few convalescents from even oven comparatively slight illness fall fail to show those two symptoms in marked degree We cover the condition condition condi condl tion quite satisfactorily to most 0 of ofus ofus us us by saying We are a little anemic anemic ane ane- mic and then we wo take some iron because it Is known that Iron has a strong affinity for tor oxygen and we know that our body cells must havo have oxygen to breathe In order to restore the ruddy glow of or health to the cheek the rhythmic and vigorous swing to the walk tho the sparkle of ot vim and ent en- en t orgy to the eye Anemia as generally understood is a n condition marked by pallor of ot the skin and mucous membranes and by palpitation palpitation tation and debility due to a deficiency In ia the blood or its constituents To be able to sense the character of any physical body we must be able to see and to comprehend its three dimensIons dimensions dimensions di di- of ot length breadth and thickness thickness thickness thick thick- ness and personally to test Its density and hardness and In like manner to win and maintain health we must see and comprehend its limits The blood contains Iron and the theIron theIron theiron Iron In the blood corpuscle is mostly In a combination known as hemoglobin bin which has a peculiarly loose affinity affinity af af- af- af finity for oxygen and carries that element element ele ole ment meat to the l Individual cells throughout through through- out the body enabling them to breathe We e have already noted in previous articles that wo we can live only about three minutes without air and we shall see as we pursue this inquiry how quickly and intelligently nature adjusts and compensates for material changes in environment if only we have sufficient intelligence not to Interfere interfere In in- n- n with her lien system It Is on this complicated cycle of changes that our health happiness and sanity depends and the slightest visible evidence of anemia may be betaken betaken betaken taken to mean a grave disturbance of the balance between these changes and consequently of ot every vital function of the body For sound health normal digestion is a necessity for sound thought normal normal normal nor nor- mal digestion is likewise a necessity The nervous system controlling physiological physiological phys phys- processes Is dependent for its health and ability to function on the nutrition derived from the blood and it is owing to deficient nutrition derived from the blood In anemia that the tissues of ot the secreting glands and the glands themselves the secreting cells the secretions and the muscular and all other tissues of ot the tho digestive system are In a defective condition in consequence of ot which they are Incapable Incapable incapable In In- capable of ot fulfilling their functions Children of anemic parents have ill III developed loped organs at birth and consequently are unable to manufacture red corpuscles In sufficient sufficient ent quantity or cf t f normal quality These congenital unless given ghen extraordinary care are unable to develop normally and go to form our arrested development types Fortunately the matter of sound blood need not be a matter of ot personal per opinion as there are scientific means available for determining Its It condition once we are made to comprehend com corn the gravity of any departure from tho normal I I UNDERFED BLOOD The fundamental basis of ot all philosophies philosophies philosophies philos philos- Is the the pursuit of happiness And wo we fall taU to attain the desire only 1 because we are aro unable unable enable to make mako om I Ideas coincide with things as the they I actually exist This being true then I in anemia wo we have the most general and the most Insidious and destructive destructive tive foe toe to the attainment of ot mans man chief desire happIness desire happiness For the fundamental characteristic Istia of ot anemia Is lassitude weakness and Impotence Incapacity for tor happiness Examination of ot every efficient steam I engino engine will disclose that the tho designer and the construction engineers have I recognized the necessity of constructing construct ing lag the machine machino according to the requirements requirements re reo re- re of natural physical laws and there will be bo found a u definite ratio ratio ra ra- ra- ra tb tio between the grate surface on which the carbon fuel is burned the boiler surface by means of ot which the tho water Is exposed to the heat of combustion and the cylinder area ares and stroke through which tho transformed potential potential potential po po- po- po energy is delivered as dynamic energy Our bodies like other machines have havo a definite capacity for transforming transforming trans trans- forming potential energy contained in what we call food into dynamic energy en ergy orgy and there is not any great margin margin margin mar mar- gin or or as the engineers call it factor factor fac fac- tor br of safety We Wo work close to our capacity most of tho the time tinie Therefore If It we wo waste energy o ot 01 if we do not take in sufficient quantity of ot food of the tho right quality we fail fall to maintain our physical energy balance A steam engine engino or a gasoline engine simply stops when tho the fuel runs out but the human body cannot atop and live Normal blood of the tho average man contains about five million corpuscles per cubic millimeter a millimeter beIng being being be be- Ing approximately one ono twenty fifth o oan of an Inch We have noted that the total tola area of all the corpuscles in the body of the tho average man is approximately approximate square feet and that the hemoglobin hem hem- spread over this area of blood corpuscles carries oxygen to the cells In distant parts of ot the body to enable them to breathe or oxidize and burnup burn up the matter necessary to cell life This corpuscular area passes through a a. a capillary network in tho the lungs approxImating square feet teet of surface Nowhere in nature do we find any any- great margin over actual necessities and the fact that there Is a a. material materia difference in the net results of ot com corn bustion at low and at high altitudes raises many questions in the Inquiring mind We know that water bolls boils a asea at sea level at d degrees grees Fahrenheit and at feet teet above sea level the same water bolls boils at degrees Fahrenheit Fahr Fahr- Many of us have experienced the practical difficulties of this In attempting attempting attempting at at- tempting to cook beans or boll boil eggs at the higher altitude If It our oxygen balance is so close and delicate how hoVi Is it then that man lives and thrives as well at lt the high as at the low altitude altitude alti alU- tude In clearing up this point we find an illustration of the wonderful compensating compensating compensating sating power these bodies of ours have If we will only give them the tho necessary material to vork work with The first effect of our going quickly from n a. a low to a I. I high altitude Is that most o ous of ofus ofus us are subject to symptoms exactly paralleling those of ot anemia there Is weakness palpitation shortness o ot of breath pallor of ot the tho skin akin skin and many are aro liable to faint as the result of ot any material exertion But nut after a few weeks we get used to the climate and everything the norma normal again Now as a matter of ot fact we have experienced a a. technical anemia The lightness of the air gave us less oxygen at each breath less pressure on our bodies called for more blood In Inthe inthe the tho tissues consequently less blood was In the tho veins and arteries There foro fore tho the heart and lungs had both to work harder and faster to keep things moving But after about two weeks o a blood count will show that the tho corpuscles to the cubic millimeter have increased at feet teet altitude to corpuscles If It the tho body is so Jealous of its balance balance balanco bal bal- ance anco in numbers and areas of blood corpuscles as shown by Its so cleverly matching one ono against the other other au au automatically as we express it we It-we we can begin to understand why there thero is so much unrest and unhappiness when through deficiency of hemoglobin the oxygen demands of the body are aro reduced reduced reduced re re- re- re tenth one or one Kirk says that grains of oxygen are aro absorbed absorbed ab ab- ab dally daily by the tho lungs of an average average aver aver- average age healthy adult therefore if ii hemoglobin hemoglobin hemoglobin globin Is 10 per cent deficient that Individual individual individual in In- would receive only grains and if 20 per cent deficient only grains In all tho the Individual cells the corpuscles suffer first in quality that Is to say the hemoglobin contents contents contents con con- tents are first reduced and then after a time the tho corpuscles themselves b begin begin be be- gin to deteriorate In general quality and number Barring a congenital anemia resultIng result result- ing lag from very anemic mothers infants in are given a fresh and fair start each generation the newborn Infant showing about corpuscles per cubic millimeter but reverting to n normay normay nor nor- r- r may in the course of about two weeks after food Is ingested It would b be the part of intelligence carefully to watch and guard this practically absolute IndIcator indicator in In- of health |
