omy and the physiology of the body—the structure in the fore part, and the function in the latter part. This organization may very properly be considered the Normal Standard of the human system—that it is represented here in its best estate. While we may not, perhaps, find perfect exam- ples—like the organization here described, we find all manner of approximations tow- ards it. Still the standard remains the same, and upon it are based, we believe, certain great physiological laws which are fundamental and vastly important. Some of these laws we propose to notice briefly in this article, but it would require vol- umes to do justice to them. I. The Law of Health. In analyzing this table we might almost scientifically figure out the exact changes which cause disease. There must be in the very na- ture of things, one kind or type of organi - zation more conducive to health than an- other. Admitting this fact, there must be an organization of the body far better adapted to secure perfect health than all others. What then must be its type or character? What must be its anatomy and its construction ? Is not that the stan- dard which consists in a perfect develop- ment of all the organs of the human body, so that there shall be a perfect harmony in the performance of their respective func- tions? By referring to the table, it will be seen at once that a change in the weight or measures pertaining to any part of the body, will make a radical change in the type’or standard set before us. If you change any one of these factors, you destroy the harmony or balance in the whole or- ganism. If the structure is changed, it impairs just so much its functions. This constitutes the entering wedge of disease. The particular kind or character of the NORMAL STANDARD OF PHYSI- OLOGY. NATHAN ALLEN, H. D. IT is admitted that Professor Huxley is the highest living authority on matters pertaining to Physiology. The following table, prepared by Prof. H., de- fines the constituent elements that compose a perfect human body. It describes ex- actly not only all its principal parts, but what supplies it must have, from day to day, to preserve it in a healthy state. This table reads as follows : 11 A full- grown man should weigh 154 pounds, made up thus: muscles and their appurte- nances, G8 pounds; skeleton, 24 pounds; skin, 10 J pounds ; fat, 28 pounds ; brain, 3 pounds; thoracic viscera, 3£ pounds; abdominal viscera, 11 pounds ; blood which would drain the body, 7 pounds. This man ought to consume per diem lean beef-steak, 5,000 grains; bread, 6.000 grains; milk, 7,000 grains; potatoes, 3,000 grains; butter, 600 grains; and water, 22.900 grains. His heart should beat 75 times a minute, and he should breathe 15 times a minute. In twenty-four hours he would vitiate 1,750 cubic feet of pure air to the are based upon nature in its best condition. And the nearer we can go back to a perfect physical organization, the less peculiarity, eccentricity, or defect shall we find. It may be we cannot explain or un- derstand all the causes of the strange or different phenomena of character; it does not disprove but there may exist a general law somewhere. It is true, there have been different theories and speculations in ac- counting for hereditary influences, but we do not believe that they can all be explain- ed so satisfactorily upon any other law or hypothesis as upon the one here stated,— that is, upon a perfect development of anatomy and physiology, or in other words, that all the organs in the human body shall be so constructed that there must be legitimately a healthy performance of all their functions. There is another important test in favor of this normal type of physiology—as far as the human body is concerned, it presents the true standard of beauty. Man was created with a sense of taste and love for the beautiful, which, cultivated and perfected, might find objects in nature capable of gratifying this taste to its full- est extent. Now there must be a type or model for man, which in form, proportion, size, fullness, outline, is more beautiful than all others. Is not this the same standard that Grecian and Roman artists have attempted to imitate iq statuary? Has it not, in all ages, and with all na- tions, attracted attention? Why should 4 it not constitute the basis or foundation for most valuable laws? But the most important law of all, involved in this physiological description, remains to be stated, that is IV. The Laiv of Human Increase.— This law virtually controls all the others. With a change here, the conditions of health, of longevity and of heredity would necessarily be more or less affected. It is in fact, the starting-point, the ground- work of the most important inquiries that can be raised connected with physiology. All that we can here do is to state what this law is, what some of the evidences in support of it are, and what are some of its applications. It would require volumes to do justice to the whole subject. In the first place, there is no universal law of population that is generally admit- ted as such, and referred to as authority. Nearly one hundred years ago, Malthus established what he supposed a general principle to regulate population, and his theory prevailed for fifty years or more. It is discarded now by nearty all physiolo- gists, as well as most writers on political economy. It is rare to find now any prom- inent writer advocating the doctrines of Malthus. The theories of Herbert Spen- cer on this subject have, probably, at the present day, more influence than those of any other writer. The views of Spencer, unlike those of Malthus, are based upon physical organization, but are not so strictly physiological as the law here proposed. The foundation, the ground-work of the law we advocate, is based solely upon An- atomy and Physiology in their best estate. There are other factors, such as food, climate, exercise and other external agents, but these are secondary. That this law may be distinctly under- stood, we will describe, as briefly as possible, what is meant by it. It is based upon a normal or perfect physical standard of the human system, where eve- ry organ of the body is complete in struc- ture and performs fully all its natural functions. This principle implies that the body is svmmetical, well developed in all its parts, so that each organ acts in harmony with all the others. According to this principle, the nearer the organism approaches that standard, and the laws of propagation are strictly observed, the greater will be the number of children, and the better will be their organization for securing the great objects of life. On the other hand, if the organization is carried to an extreme development in either direction, viz.: a predominance of nerve tissue, or of a low animal nature, the tendency in such families or races is gradually to decrease and ultimately to become extinct. Thus people enjoying the very highest civilization, or living in the lowest savage state, do not multiply rapidly. It is well known that the fami- lies in Europe belonging to the nobility or aristocracy, whose nerve tissue has be- come predominant by inter-marriage from generation to generation, do not increase much, and not unfrequentlj” these families become extinct. A similar result has also followed the inter-marriage of relatives, from the fact that the same weaknesses or predispositions to disease are intensified by this alliance. On the other hand, in case these relatives have healthy, well-balanc- ed organizations,—it may be they are cousins—they will abound with healthy offspring, and the stock may improve, and not deteriorate, from the mere fact of re- lationship. It explains a principle that has long been employed in the improve- ment of domestic stock under the terms, ‘‘breeding in-and-in,” and “crossbreed- ing.” Again : One of the strangest things has been taking place in the birth-rate of our New England people that can be found in history. It has diminished more than one- half within two or three generations, while that of the Irish, the English and the Ger- man living right among us, is twice as large as the American. Why this change and this difference? Making allowance 5 for the “ arts of prevention and destruc- tion/’ which doubtless, exist to some ex- tent, we do not see how this great decrease of birth-rate can be accounted for, except by some radical change or difference in physical organization. In connection with this decrease of birth-rate, we find this very significant fact,—that probably not half of our New England women can properly nurse their offspring at the pres- ent day. It was not so formerly, and the Irish, English and German women find no such difficulty. Has there not been a great increase of nerve tissue among our women, and at the same time, a loss of lymphatic and muscular? Some may think this change of small account, but if the very existence of a people is imperilled,— at least in three or four generations,—it is certainly a question of some consequence. We close with one suggestion. Man was created a free moral agent, responsible for his acts. The law of propagation is certainly very important to man in his re- lations to this world and the future. Must man always remain ignorant of such a law, or pass through life a mere passive agent in its administration, without definite knowledge on the subject, or intelligent motives set before him for his action ? It is impossible that a wise and just Crea- tor should ever have had such a purpose or design. NEW ENGLAND MEDICAL MONTHLY, Reprinted from the March, 1885.