--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The third stage was the reaction that…" description: "\"The third stage was the reaction that came when the body struggled to compensate for its ills - when, for instance, the white count not only returned t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/john-hersey-18533_body_the-third-stage-was-the-reaction-that-ca_865806.png" --- # The third stage was the reaction that came when the body… ![“The third stage was the reaction that came when the body struggled to compensate for its ills - when, for instance, the white count not only returned to normal but increased to much higher than normal levels.” quote by John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/john-hersey-18533_body_the-third-stage-was-the-reaction-that-ca_865806.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/john-hersey-18533_body_the-third-stage-was-the-reaction-that-ca_865806.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/john-hersey-18533_body_the-third-stage-was-the-reaction-that-ca_865806.png) > “The third stage was the reaction that came when the body struggled to compensate for its ills - when, for instance, the white count not only returned to normal but increased to much higher than normal levels.” [John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The body’s response to severe illness can overcompensate, causing blood cell counts to rise above normal. **In simple terms:** Illness can trigger excessive bodily reactions. Key Takeaway Monitor health changes, seek medical guidance. Themes health biology physiology Mood concerned analytical Type clinical educational When to use this quote - hospitalization - chronic disease management - clinical monitoring Key Concepts homeostasis compensation immune response Questions to Reflect On - How can we differentiate normal recovery from harmful overreaction? - When should medical intervention occur? A Different Perspective Overcompensation may mask underlying issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) ## Related quotes > [“She realized that the photograph had caused his reaction. It came to her almost as a revelation. 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It's great to have an instinctual human reaction to a character, too, of course, but it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-ve-always-been-a-believer-in-research-it-s-great-to-have-an/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [“There's no difference between a madman and a professor...it should be clear to you in the way they dress, act and think.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/there-s-no-difference-between-a-madman-and-a-professor-it-should-be/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [If people are talking about your movie and they're like, 'Yeah, it was ok' - that's the last reaction I would want! I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caity-lotz/if-people-are-talking-about-your-movie-and-they-re-like-yeah-it-was/) [Caity Lotz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caity-lotz/) > [Military deployments have never been something to enjoy, but the consequence of the actions, the shared nature of the sacrifices, and the nobility of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hegseth/military-deployments-have-never-been-something-to-enjoy-but-the/) [Pete Hegseth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hegseth/) > [“We do know that in physics, every action has an equal and opposite reaction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-vickers/we-do-know-that-in-physics-every-action-has-an-equal-and-opposite/) [Lee Vickers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-vickers/) > [The very best thing about doing it is seeing the reaction on kid's faces when you tell them you've done it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-thewlis/the-very-best-thing-about-doing-it-is-seeing-the-reaction-on-kid-s/) [David Thewlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-thewlis/) > [Stop being tomented by everyone else's reaction to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/stop-being-tomented-by-everyone-else-s-reaction-to-you/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [There is a broad range of reaction to the work, as there is a broad range of work I make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-hodges/there-is-a-broad-range-of-reaction-to-the-work-as-there-is-a-broad/) [Jim Hodges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-hodges/) > [“Lay not the blame on me, O sailor, but on the winds. 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My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) > [There are two ways of knowing if something ends badly: If you're honest with yourself, you just kind of know it. And then there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-gilligan/there-are-two-ways-of-knowing-if-something-ends-badly-if-you-re/) [Vince Gilligan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-gilligan/) ## More by John Hersey > [When the writing is really working, I think there is something like dreaming going on. I don't know how to draw the line between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/when-the-writing-is-really-working-i-think-there-is-something-like/) [John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/) > [Learning starts with failure; the first failure is the beginning of education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/learning-starts-with-failure-the-first-failure-is-the-beginning-of/) [John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/) > [The crux of the matter is whether total war in its present form is justifiable, even when it serves a just purpose. Does it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/the-crux-of-the-matter-is-whether-total-war-in-its-present-form-is/) [John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/) > [“Mankind must destroy anti-humanity before it becomes extinct itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/mankind-must-destroy-anti-humanity-before-it-becomes-extinct-itself/) [John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/) > [“This private estate was far enough away from the explosion so that its bamboos, pines, laurel, and maples were still alive, and the green…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/this-private-estate-was-far-enough-away-from-the-explosion-so-that/) [John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/) > [And, as if nature were protecting man against his own ingenuity, the reproductive processes were affected for a time; men became sterile, women had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/and-as-if-nature-were-protecting-man-against-his-own-ingenuity-the/) [John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/) > [To my great surprise, I never heard anyone cry out in the disorder, even though they suffered in great agony. They died in silence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/to-my-great-surprise-i-never-heard-anyone-cry-out-in-the-disorder/) [John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/) > [“…she looked like Vivien, the Lady of the Lake, only she was fat and her lake was dust, sand and dust, bones and dust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/she-looked-like-vivien-the-lady-of-the-lake-only-she-was-fat-and-her/) [John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/) > [The writer must not invent. The legend on the license must read: NONE OF THIS WAS MADE UP.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/the-writer-must-not-invent-the-legend-on-the-license-must-read-none/) [John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/) > [Journalism allows its readers to witness history; fiction gives its readers an opportunity to live it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/journalism-allows-its-readers-to-witness-history-fiction-gives-its/) [John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/) > [The first stage had been all over before the doctors even knew they were dealing with a new sickness; it was the direct reaction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/the-first-stage-had-been-all-over-before-the-doctors-even-knew-they/) [John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/) > [Do not work primarily for money; do your duty to patients first and let the money follow; our life is short, we don't live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/do-not-work-primarily-for-money-do-your-duty-to-patients-first-and/) [John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/) > [At exactly fifteen minutes past eight in the morning, on August 6, 1945, Japanese time, at the moment when the atomic bomb flashed above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/at-exactly-fifteen-minutes-past-eight-in-the-morning-on-august-6-1945/) [John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/) > [Many people who did not die right away came down with nausea, headache, diarrhea, malaise, and fever, which lasted several days. Doctors could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/many-people-who-did-not-die-right-away-came-down-with-nausea-headache/) [John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/) > [Events are less important than our responses to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/events-are-less-important-than-our-responses-to-them/) [John Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/) [Explore all 34 John Hersey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/) ## More Body quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) [Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The third stage was the reaction that came when the body struggled to compensate for its ills - when, for instance, the white count not only returned to normal but increased to much higher than normal levels.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Hersey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/the-third-stage-was-the-reaction-that-came-when-the-body-struggled-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Body" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/the-third-stage-was-the-reaction-that-came-when-the-body-struggled-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/john-hersey-18533_body_the-third-stage-was-the-reaction-that-ca_865806.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/john-hersey-18533_body_the-third-stage-was-the-reaction-that-ca_865806.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/john-hersey-18533_body_the-third-stage-was-the-reaction-that-ca_865806.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The third stage was the reaction that came when the body struggled to compensate for its ills - when, for…” — John Hersey", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "John Hersey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hersey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The third stage was the reaction...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/the-third-stage-was-the-reaction-that-came-when-the-body-struggled-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hersey/the-third-stage-was-the-reaction-that-came-when-the-body-struggled-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```