The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1844-12-28

gas, which is Grown Of with the breath.
being rendered unfit for the purposes oi
IiIc-during ulis change or chemical az.
ZION quantity o! heat is evolved which
Is distributed to every part of The human
body. 1t matters not whether the chem
zeal action bv which the carbonic acid
gas is formed takes place in The lungs
! Gas is maintained by some phyeiologisls)
or whether IT is during The passage III the
arlerlal blood from the lungs 10 the veins
Gas is believed by olhers) it is nevcrlhe-
less not TO be gainsay'd, that this action
does take place, thai the gas is formed
and that heat is produced, for no such
chang { can occur Without an evolution OF
heat. The production OF IA portion OF the
heat Of ,ae human body is thus sa,isIac-
torallv accounted iol, the gene ration oi
which is assisted by the influence Of ncr-
vous cxci,ablIity and is perfected ny .hc
mutual action Of all II Z vital aud orgaGic
functions. in The theory Of heat IL Will
bc recoIlccted, that its principle, (calnrIc}
exists in all bodies, (iuanimate and imam"
imatct) in two conditions, latent or com
bincd heat of which there is no sens Die
or external eyidcnce-a and sensible or free
heat which IS plain and tangible to the
scnscs-for example IA stone which ap-
ucarcd cold To the touch-bv striking it
with - hard substance. ms , niece of steel.
the violence OF the action dislurbs the
l,teal fen, in III, Two bodies and sets i,
,u Iihrr,y. or in other words il becD,ucs
from and u,,r,u LiurI 81 sensible, Lco, and
so r,njdly does i, assume this condition
,t..,;,.. ;n,c,,i,, hur,,. ,Ir small r,rIirlrs
r.,,.J ,,.l ,;c, ,r, ,o,, ,, hv ,hr r,;r,;,u
and produce, the sparks Of fine " hlch we
see from this nucla,ion 1t i, hWs with all
action. and Iatrut heat Is changed 60 SEN
s;hI,, hv unumerable causes. Violent
mo,inn of The bnJy-,s ruuuinr-pro-
duees accelerated respiration whlch liz
rIeases The amount of the sensible heat Of
the body, exrites the activity OF the crcu-
lalim and Of every other function winch
sill further augments the heat Yet i,
has never been urged (llati am aware of
= that man is any more uIlv " possesses
more life IN lhc race, than in qlictude.-
Heat then is plainly Il rcSHH of animal
life instead Of d causc-l"r tl'cre tan be
no animal Iile wilhout respiration, circu-
lalion and nervous cxcrabIluy Yet 1T"
one has ever vet asrlbed to either of
these vital actions the peculiar principle
ol life, although they approach much
nearer to it than heat which IS merely Il
rest of such action What the vital or
peculiar principle termed life, is &c there
is such GisiInCt and single priAciPie)
human reason and Investigation haze moi
yet been able To dele,nilnG--but that II Is
a condition of a continuation o, actions
altogether elementary, and cssen'lal to It's
production aud existence is perfectly plain
aud dcmonsrablc; but whether this con-
diuon is Il single distinct vital principle
arising from the above mentioned phcno-
mcnon, or whether it is a serits OF mutu-
f al actions without a distinct aud separate
. being, is a question altogether vague and
unsettled
In maxi this acknowledgements
truth which is universally conceded = it
must not be presumed li,at it is not most
positively ascer,a,ncd what it is uot--for