ea: two affections that derange
more lives than all other pathological conditions together. Banish
alimentary uncleanliness and you take most of the poisons from the
human race--poisons that stunt the body and blunt the mind.

The soul of man should dwell in a palace, not in a pest-house; in a
human temple, velvety, lined with down, inside and out; in which there
are hundreds of millions of lilliputian trappings, fittings and
articles of furniture, to carry on the minute and finer functions and
chemistry of the soul. The very multitude of the fine equipments that
decorate the temple give it that beautiful blending of color and form
which its coating has when in normal condition. They adorn this
body-house with health, and supply it with the rich red wine of joy.

The blood is dependent for its richness not only on the digestive
fluids, but also on the proper eliminating powers of the system. If you
would avoid premature decay you must not neglect the reservoir of
vitality, the alimentary canal, but see to it that it be kept clean and
pure. Then will the elixir of life spring from an almost inexhaustible
fountain. To recur to our plant analogy. Keep the soil in your own
vegetable garden sweet, for intestinal cleanliness corresponds to soil
fitness. Purity of the stomach and bowels is more important than
quantity or quality of food. That defecation should occur normally two
or three times in twenty-four hours is more important than that three
meals should be eaten within that time. The conveniences for eating and
drinking are on every hand, but oh, how few, inaccessible, miserably
constructed, and poorly cared for, are the toilet cabinets for the
accommodation of the gourmand! Suspenders and silk hats mark the
progress of our outer refinement; toilet cabinets and flushing
appliances, of our inner. When the _inner_ refinement comes we shall
live longer and be healthier.

CHAPTER XIV.

BALLOONING OF THE RECTUM.

To make plainer what has been said of the rectal and anal tubes or
canals, consider the sleeve of an infant's gown. This sleeve well
represents the rectal tube, the wrist-band the anal orifice and
tube--an inch or more long. Think of the sleeve or rectal tube as being
made up of four layers of material or membranes; and counting from the
inside of the sleeve or rectum there are (1) the mucous layer; (2) the
areolar layer; (3) the muscular layer; (4) the serous layer.

The muscular membrane is itself c