for their healthy performance.

Our examination of phosphorus and sulphur from the functional point of
view throws light also on their effect on the alternating conditions of
waking and sleeping, necessary for the life of the higher organisms.
This rhythmic change, which affects especially the nervous system, is
an alternation between the qualities dry and moist. Disturbance of this
alternation in one direction or the other makes it difficult for the
organism to react in full wakefulness or normal sleep. It follows that
treatment with phosphorus or sulphur in suitable preparations,
according to the nature of the disturbance, can be beneficial.

If we study the functional properties of such substances we see that
they can teach us a rational understanding of therapeutic practices,
which otherwise must remain mere results of trial and error. The same
applies to phosphorus and sulphur treatment in cases where in the
functionally 'dry' bone system or in the functionally 'moist' metabolic
system of the organism the wrong quality predominates. If the bones
remain too 'moist' there is a tendency to rickets; against this,
certain fish-oils are a well-known remedy on account of their highly
phosphoric nature. Conversely, the application of sulphur can help
where weakness of the metabolic forces produces rheumatic or gouty
sediments in parts of the body whose function is to serve by their
mobility the activities of the will. In this case the abnormal
predominance of the quality 'dry' can be counteracted by the medical
application of sulphur.

*

Having observed the action of sulphur and phosphorus in the laboratory