By Mark Zopfir, M.D., Pittsburg, Pa.

Not the organ or part affected is the disease, but rather the seat of irritation. No organ or part of the body can become irritated, inflamed, diseased, develop cellular or structural changes independent and without the presence of an irritating and distinctive agent to act upon and disturb the same. These exciting and destructive elements always have their existence in, and are the results of a morbid state of the blood, toxemia, or both. And owing to the nature and character of these morbid and toxic conditions will there be the characteristic disturbance. It is an absolute impossibility to have any disturbance in the human body without the necessary soil or condition to create it.

      In the broad sense of the term there is no such thing as is commonly termed disease of the stomach, lungs, heart, eyes, ears, etc. Only as these organs and parts of the body become the seat of irritation, due to some inflammable otherwise irritable condition of the blood.

     No organ or part of the body can become diseased or irritated when supplied with sufficient pure blood. Normal blood can build, but not irritate and destroy. Consequently the blood must develop into a diseased or opposite state before it can excite and cause destruction’s of tissues in general; e.g., in a case of tuberculosis not the lungs are the disease, but rather the seat of irritation. The real disease is the tubercular and otherwise morbid and corrupt blood, which irritates and destroys the lung tissues. So violent is this condition that no other part of the body is free from its irritating effects. The truth is that the blood is being destroyed as well as the lung tissue. To treat only secondary effects of this morbid condition, such as elevation of temperature, cough, expectoration, etc., as has been customary in the past, and not treat the seat or soil of this most depraved condition, has certainly always been followed with very poor success.

      Treat the blood and circulation which are the seat of most all bodily disturbance.

     In the past only the effects of disease have been studied, such as cellular and structural changes, but the nature and character of these destructive agents, that act upon organs and tissues and cause their destruction’s, have remained unobserved, only that it was termed a “disease.”

      If physicians could understand and realize the characteristic changes that must take place in the blood, from a perfectly normal to that condition by which some disturbance or disease is the result, then they would treat this as well as the secondary effects or symptoms. Not until these morbid conditions are clearly understood will there ever be marked success in the treatment of these deep seated diseases.

      Diseases can be divided into two classes, as thermal or inflammable and cold or electrical.

     The first are the results when the blood from various causes, as direct toxemia, cold, heat, depressed physiological functions, food, air, etc. Has developed within its substance a most violent inflammable element. These inflammable elements are characteristic of such disturbances as peritonitis, appendicitis, cancer, scarlet fever, variola, inflammatory rheumatism, gout, skin diseases, syphilis, etc.

     The second class are just the opposite to this inflammable nature, and are the results when the blood from various causes has developed into a cold, sluggish, inactive, thick, dormant condition, and suffers from sub oxidation and deficient circulation. This condition is usually found in consumption, typhoid and malarial fevers, chronic rheumatism, asthma and chronic bronchitis, and in all old and chronic dormant conditions.

     In this state the blood is in a sub-acute inflammable condition, also very impoverished and anemic. It is these morbid conditions that excite organs, nerves and tissues, which are known under as many names as disease.

     The importance of understanding these morbid conditions in the treatment of disease are many. First, similar morbid states frontal sinus, and very slight inspection of this region will suffice to show how great a difference there is in various persons some being smooth and prominent while others are depressed, with more or less perpendicular lines. The deeper these lines the stronger and healthier the lung tissue, and, therefore, the less liable to disease, and the more susceptible of restoration if affected. It is interesting to notice how these lines deepen in persons who practice deep breathing.

      The region corresponding with the heart is situated just above the ears, where phrenologists place the organ of “executiveness.” The rounder and fuller it is the stronger the heart and circulation. It will be found to increase or decrease with the strength or weakness of this organ.

      The “fourth leg of the table,” as my old friend would call it, is the cerebellum, which, as every student knows, is intimately connected with the sexual system. It forms the basis of man’s physical energy and strength. When too large it makes a man a brute; but if too small, a ninny.

      In examining the human constitution by means of these cranial indications, judgment has to be used in order to form a just estimate of the whole. For instance, a man may have weak lings, but if his other organs are strong he has a very fair chance of overcoming any difficulty in that direction, as the following case will illustrate:

      Three or four years ago I was consulted by a distressed father with regard to his pet son, a lad four or five years of age, who had been given up as a hopeless case of chronic tubercular meningitis by three of our leading physicians. The prominence of the cranial region at once revealed the tubercular constitution, but on further investigation I found a good base of brain and full cerebellum, whereupon I told the anxious parent that, while there certainly was a tendency to the disease in question, there was such a large preponderance of physical power in his favor that I had no doubt of his ultimate recovery. All that he required was something to remove the tubercular diathesis from his system.

     The expression of his face was a curious mixture of hope and doubt, which was intensified when I told him that all the lad required was a dose of medicine every ten days. However, as the other doctors had given him no hope whatever, he concluded to leave him in my hands. As he lived at some distance I gave him powders enough to last him for three months, at the end of which time he reported the lad as “running round like any other boy.” A fresh supply of powders was forwarded, and three months later, when he brought him in for inspection, the prominence of the upper part of the forehead was far less apparent.

     The medicine that affected this wonderful cure was Dr. J.C. Burnett’s Bacillinum, 200; though some slight credit may be due to rigorous prohibition of coffee, tea and meat. A simpler case I have never had to deal with. The prominent upper region denoting tuberculosis, but stomach, lungs, heart and cerebellum being well developed, the chances were all in my favor, for. With tuberculinum to correct the constitutional diathesis, the game was in my hands.

      A slight acquaintance with phrenology is of great advantage to the physician as, by its aid, it is easy to form a rough estimate of a patient’s character, and when assisted by the additional information to be derived from Dr. Donovan’s” four legs of the table” the effect on the mind of the patient is very striking.

      When a stranger calls for advice, my first request is for him or her to take a seat and remove the head-gear, after which I run my hands over the head, saying: “Allow me to see what sort of constitution you have” but without letting them know what part I am inspecting then I mention their constitutional peculiarities, such as “You have a strong (or weak) stomach, heart or lungs.” As the case may be. Which usually produces a favorable impression, after which I proceed to inquire and note down the peculiar symptoms, etc.