The art of preserving health: A poem

by John Armstrong

Acquiring (from their elemental[5] veins,

Condens’d to solid chords) a firmer tone,

Sustain, and just sustain, th’ impetuous blood. 520

Here stops the growth. With overbearing pulse

And pressure, still the great destroy the small;

Still with the ruins of the small grow strong.

Life glows mean time, amid the grinding force

Of viscous fluids and elastic tubes; 525

Its various functions vigorously are plied

By strong machinery; and in solid health