Written by Amanda Regoto. Editing by Lee Jarvis.

Dr Andrew Taylor Still was a renowned Osteopath and functional anatomist during his lifetime. Dr. Still was also a man of his time that used regional American analogies and turn-of-phrase that can be confusing to the readers not from that time or region. Within his interesting phrases Dr. Still infused his deep understanding of anatomy and this comes through clearly when understood and/or translated effectively. Sadly Dr. Still’s phrases can lose meaning when translated into other languages or when the reader is not familiar with his regional context. For this purpose, we aim to explain and validate our favourite quotes of Dr. Still and hope the reader will both understand and enjoy these quotes that much better.

From Philosophy of Osteopathy page 58:

“Like a thirsty herd of camels, the whole nerve system, sensory, motor, nutrient, voluntary and involuntary; this herd of sappers or hungry nerves seems to be in sufficient quantities and numbers to consume all blood and cause the philosopher to ask the question: “Is not the labor of the artery complete when it has fed the hungry nerves?” Is he not justified in the conclusion that the nerves do gestate and send forth all substances that are applied by nature in the construction of man?”

This is the type of quote that those who read Dr Still tend to enjoy most of all. This colourful expression is a fantastic example of one of Dr Still’s analogies that is highly visual, slightly comedic, and understandable if the subjects are known.  It also happens to be a physiologically accurate statement about the nervous system over 100 years after it was written.

For those unfamiliar with the subjects of the quote; a herd of camels is (presumably) in a dry desert. It would be reasonable to assume that these camels, known for their water storage capacity, would consume large quantities of water when thirsty. Should we liken the nervous system to thirsty camels, we can assume that Dr. Still was claiming that the nervous system uses a great deal of the body’s nutrients to function, and he would be correct in that statement. Though not as explicit in this analogy, it could also be a nod to the Cerebrospinal Fluid (which is largely water) utilization by the Central Nervous System to carry nutrients to the nervous tissue itself. Dr. Still was both aware of, and wrote regularly, on the CSF so this is easily possible however not the most important point of this analogy.

This quote by Andrew Taylor Still was written in the year 1899 from the book Philosophy of Osteopathy. It was only 125 years earlier that oxygen was even discovered. The year was 1774, and a chemist named Joseph Priestly was analyzing the properties of “airs” – at this time, there was recognition of some of the different elements and the composition of air was still unknown. In one of his experiments, he discovered that by heating the mineral red mercury oxide in a glass jar, a new glass was released in which a candle would burn faster, and a mouse could live longer than in a similar sealed volume of air (Hancock, 2022). Since this time, the importance of oxygen to the body, and specifically the brain, has been studied and become more well understood.

Looking closer at the analogy of a thirsty herd of camels, the brain is metabolically one of the most “thirsty” of all the organs in the body. The brain itself, which represents only about 2% of total body weight, accounts for 20% of the resting total body oxygen consumption; that’s about 1/5 of the total oxygen use in the body (Lau-Cam, 2020). Not only does the brain utilize this oxygen at a very rapid rate, but it is absolutely dependant on continual and uninterrupted oxidative metabolism for maintenance of its functioning and structural integrity.

Along with the constant supply of required oxygen, the brain requires constant supply of glucose – hungry nerves indeed. For decades, glucose has been considered as the main energy source for the brain. This discovery was largely based on work done by H. McIlwain the 1950’s where experiments done with brain slices demonstrated that apart from glucose, few physiological substrates could sustain metabolic and electrical activities of the nervous tissue (Pellerin). Glucose, a form of sugar, is the primary source of energy for every cell in the body. Because the brain is so rich in nerve cells, it is the most energy-demanding organ, and uses a whopping 1/2 of all the glucose in the body. Brain functions such as thinking, memory, and learning are closely linked to glucose levels and how efficiently the brain uses this fuel source. If there isn’t enough glucose in the brain, for example, neurotransmitters, the brain’s chemical messengers, are not produced and communication between neurons breaks down (Edwards, 2016).

Cerebral blood flow must be able to maintain the appetite of the brain for oxygen and glucose as these energy sources are not stored in the brain and so must be transported here constantly. With the brain making up only 2% of total body weight but still to receive 15% of the total blood flow provided by the cardiovascular system and to be allotted at least 25% of all circulating glucose and 20% of the oxygen available in the body under normal, resting conditions, gives insight into the hierarchy of the body and the importance of energy supply to the brain.

For this reason, we can say that the nervous system is indeed “thirsty” when talking about how much of the body’s supplies it is using throughout the day. Much like a comedic mnemonic, if this analogy helps the Osteopathic student or practitioner remember a little more about the nervous system it should be considered a worthwhile explanation. 

Works Cited

Edwards, S. (2016). Sugar and the Brain . Retrieved from Havard Medical School: https://hms.harvard.edu/news-events/publications-archive/brain/sugar-brain#:~:text=Brain%20functions%20such%20as%20thinking,communication%20between%20neurons%20breaks%20down

Hancock, J. T. (2022). A Brief History of Oxygen: 250 Years on. Oxygen, Volume 2, Issue 1, 31-39.

Lau-Cam, C. A. (2020). Protective role of Turine and Structurally related compounds against diabetes-induced oxidative stress. Diabetes (Second Edition).

Pellerin, L. (October 2010, Volume 36, Supplement 3). Food for thought:the importance of glucose and other energy substrates for sustaining brain fucntion under varying levels of acitivity. Diabetes and Metabolism, S59-S63.

Still, A. T. (1902). The Philosophy and Mechanical Principles of Osteopathy. Kansas City: Hudson-Kimberly Pub. Co.