The nervous system presides over organic functioning--all its functions are controlled by the nervous system--the nervous function being the only exception. When nerve energy is normal organic function is normal; when nerve energy is low function lags. When man is enervated all his organs suffer from a lowering of energy, and, as a consequence, secretions and excretions are reduced. Metabolic power is lowered, blood chemistry is changed--perverted--by being contaminated with retained waste products. The term enervation sums up the vital depletion which lowers function throughout the body.

When enervation exists digestive powers are lowered. Secretion is not adequate to meet the needs of the food intake. Bowel action is lowered producing constipation. Kidney function is lowered--renal insufficiency. Respiratory function, circulatory function, glandular function, muscular efficiency, mental and sensory powers, are all lowered. The lungs fail to exchange carbonic acid gas for oxygen gas. When there is imperfect exchange of gases in the lungs, digestion is impaired for perfect digestion requires that oxygen be brought in by the lungs, and also in the food. The liver and lymph glands are impaired. With failing function throughout the body, each organ is deprived of its full share of functional support from its symbiotic partners. Pathology is primarily due to failing co-operation and its consequent failure of support, hence, failure of strength and resistance.

When the organism is normal, secretions and excretions are balanced. When nerve-energy is weakened from any cause, secretions and excretions are lessened. A lessening of secretions deprives the organism of its power to renew itself--digestion and assimilation are impaired. Excretions being imperfect, waste products are retained and act as inhibitors of function.

Often, in modern life, we consume our energies faster than we recuperate them, so that our vital or nervous batteries run low. Indeed, many people so prodigally waste their powers that there is barely enough for steady maintenance of the structures and functions of the body at their common level, without leaving a balance as an accumulating fund for emergencies, so that, under ordinary circumstances, the current expenditure of power by many people, while not enough to produce noticeable impairment of the body, leaves them with but a "pinching scantiness of motive power," so that when unusual conditions or emergencies arise, there is no power in reserve to meet the extra demands made upon the organism. These finally reach a period or condition of life in which there is such an accumulation of "pathological embarrassments" that those "organs standing foremost on the table of insolvency" are the first to falter and complain.

Changes of conditions, climate, work, emotional stresses, etc., may require more power to maintain the ordinary operations of life at their previous common standard. If the power is on hand, held in reserve, the body will easily and quickly meet the emergency, but if power is lacking function will falter. Local abuses of the body may result in such an excessive expenditure of power in one direction that functions elsewhere in the body will falter, for no organ or function in the body stands unrelated to the rest. Whatever is actually prejudical to the general health becomes a factor in the production of cancer and every other so-called "disease."

Occasional causes of impaired function may or may not be connected with any structural defect, or even with a low state of the vital funds. These may only cause a temporary expenditure of power beyond the immediately available supply and may occur in (hose of sound constitution, although this may more easily occur in impaired organisms. Such a tired, weary, faltering condition of the body is soon overcome by a night of sleep. The difference between enervation and such a condition is one of degree and duration and not of kind. All impaired functions, whether local or general, little or much. are due primarily to a tired state of the body or of the organs--to lessened power. The causes that use up nerve energy have operated so long and to such a degree, and recuperation has not kept pace with expenditure, that the enervation is constant.

By reason of the "isolated" state of the different nerve centers, which are the immediate source of organic functioning power, there may be greater local than general enervation, due to the exhaustion of one or more nerve centers. One set of organs may be reduced to the necessity of perceptibly faltering in their functions, while others are still able apparently to maintain their usual standard of healthy action. An excellent example of this is seen in sexual impotency brought on by excessive indulgence. In such a case there is general enervation and a greater local enervation.

The weakening of segmental function, resulting from such local enervation, deprives the rest of the organism of the symbiotic support it requires from the local parts, hence the whole organism is weakened.

As was shown in Volume 1 of this series, nature makes every organ much stronger than the needs of normal life demand and places a strong safeguard over the functions of every organ so that pathology can develop only after this safeguard is broken down. Much and long-continued abuse is necessary to sufficiently weaken the organs of the body that pathology can develop in them, if they are normal at birth.

When enervation has already been brought on it requires but little more debilitating agency or influence to place one on the sick list. The foundation for every case of illness is an exhausted state of the sub-treasury of life; if the funds on hand are low, an unusual draught will necessitate a retrenchment of the vital forces for purposes of recuperation--this is "prostration." Functions falter and discomforts develop. Dr. Oswald presents an excellent example of this in dealing with asthma. He says: "Any waste of vital power may bring on a fit of spasmodic asthma, and the aggravating effect of incontinence is so prompt and so unmistakable that experience generally suffices to correct a penchant to errors in that respect. Like gout, asthma is a moral censor, but its reproofs do not so often come too late."

An excellent example of the manner in which enervation impairs organic functions, even in sound organisms, is supplied us by shock. It consists in "a relaxation or abolition of the sustaining and controlling influence that the nervous system exercises over the vital organic functions of the body." There are all degrees of shock, ranging in effect from slight disturbances of function to their almost total or to their total abolition. Shock may completely suspend kidney function, as it does digestive function, and is often known, especially when improper care follows, to result fatally. Psychic shock, surgical shock, traumatic shock, or other forms of shock may each and all produce such a profound enervation as to greatly endanger or to actually end life.

Without nerve force, organic function is impossible; when nerve force is low (enervation) function is feeble. Under a full tide of the nervous energy, with all the organs sound, function is perfect, and a high standard of health is maintained. But with power low, functional efficiency is impaired. Then it is that secretions and excretions begin to flag, nutrition begins to suffer, and the wastes of the body, which are toxic, are retained in the blood, causing: