The treatment of disease by physical methods / by Thomas Stretch Dowse.

  • Dowse, Thomas Stretch
Date:
1889
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The treatment of disease by physical methods / by Thomas Stretch Dowse. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    account of matter is given : “ We cannot give a definition of matter which will satisfy the metaphysician; but the naturalist may be con- tent to know that matter is that which can be perceived by the senses, or is that which can be acted upon by, or can exert force.” The latter, and indeed the former also of these definitions, in- volves the idea of Force, which, in point of fact, is a direct object of sense—probably of all our senses—and certainly of the muscular sense. All that we know about matter relates to the series of pheno- mena in which energy is transferred from one portion of matter. The process by which stress produces change of motion is called work; and work, as we know, is the transference of energy from one body or system to another. The effecting of changes in matter is working, this being a process performed against opposing forces. It is in virtue of its possession of so much energy—a measurable thing—that any body does work, i.e., produces changes against force. Pressure plays an important part, as we shall see, in the different massage movements. It is unimportant whether the pressure be applied to mass or to molecule, so that we are con- cerned with molar movements, as well as with molecular motion. Further, the forces or energy applied must be equal to the molecular resistance to be overcome. In consequence of this, we have to deal with motion, mass, and force. Motion must be considered with regard to change of position ; Mass with respect to the quantity of matter; and Force relatively to its production of the motion of mass. Hence the amount of force must be equivalent to the quantity of mass, and its resisting power. This leads us to the consider- ation of Work and Energy. Energy signifies capacity for work, and its possession by the body, or system of bodies, bestows the capability for activity. Motion, therefore, including the ordinary molar motions of trans- lation or rotation, and molar molecular motion of undulation ; heat, electricity, and magnetism, are forms of energy. To this may be added strain (including compression), ex- tension, distortion, gravitate separation, as well as chemical separation, and, possibly, Vital Energy. A careful distinction must be drawn between the energy of the body not doing work, and the energy of the body that is doing work ; for, since energy is the possession of the capacity lor activity, it is evident that a quiescent body may yet have energy. This latter energy would be of a potential or static kind, implying that no work was done, or space traversed, by the body possessing it. On the other hand, we speak of kinetic energy as the energy of the active body, or, in other woids, actual, as distinguished from potential, energy.
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