The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1844-11-22
ON THE POWER OF THE HUMAN BODY
TO RESIST HEAT.

ON THE POWER OF THE HUMAN BODY
TO RESIST HEAT.
| 1t was long believed that the human body could
not be safely exposed, even for short time, to a
degree Of heat much exceeding that which is met
with in hot climates This opinion, which we
know not to be erroneous, was strengthened by
the result of some experiments made by the cele-
brated Fahrenheit himself, and related by Boer-
have. Some animals were shut up in sugar
bakers stove, where the mercury stood at 1856
utes, cat in rather more than quarter Of an
hour, and dog in about twenty eight minutes -
The noxious air Of the stove had probably more to
do with the death of these animals than the heat.
The truth upon this subject may be said to have
been discovered by accident In the years 1850
and 1861, MN. Duhamel and Jilet were appointed
to devise some means OF destroying an insect which
consumed the grain in the province of Augoumais,
in France. They found that this could be done by
subecting the corn and the insect contained IN it,
in an oven, to degree of heat great enough to kill
the iusect but not so great as to hurt the grain
In order to ascertain the precise heat of the oven,
they introduced into it a thermometer placed upon
the end OF long shovel The mercury, when the
thermometer was withdrawn, was found to indicate
degree of heat considerably above boiling water.
But Mr.. Jillet was aware that ihe thermometer had
sunk several degrees il as was drawn towards the
mouth of the oven. While he was puzzled to
invent some way of determining more exactly the
actual degree of heat, a girl, who was one Of the
attendants, offered is 90 in and mark with pencil
the heat at when the mercury stood; and she did
enter the oven, and remained there. two or three
minutes, and then marked the thermometer at 100
degrees of Reaumar, which nearly equals 26O
degrees of Fahrenheit. M. Jiet then began to
express some anxiety for the safety of the girl but
she assured him she felt no Inconvenience, and
remained in the oven ten minutes longer, during
which time The mercury reached 2SS degrees of
Fahrenheit's slace-denoting rs degrees of heat
above that of water when it bos. When she came
out her complexion was considerably heightened,
but her respiration was by means quick or labo-
rious. This experiment was afterwards repeated.
Another girl remained in the oven as long as the
former had done, at the same temperature, and with
the same impunity. Nay. she even breathed, for
the space five minutes, air heated to about 1926
degrees of Fahrenheit-or 1l3 degrees above that
OF boiling water.
The publication of these facts naturally excl ted
the curiosity of scientific men, and other expert
ments were soon instituted. DR.. Dobson, of Liv-
erpool, and several other persons with him, shut
themselves up in the sweating room of the hospital
there the air having been heated till the mercury
stood at 224 degrees of Fahrenheit. They did not
experience any oppressive or painful sensation OF
heat. DR.. Fordyce and DR.. Blagden made some
remarkable trials OF the same kind. They entered
rooms artiticially heated to very high degree.
sometimes naked and sometimes with their clothes
on, and bore the extraordinary temperature of 240,
and even 260 deg. for considerable time, with
very little inconvenience.
In all these experiments it was found that the an
imal heat, as ascertained by thermometers placed
under the tongue, or grasped in the hand, was
scarcely increased at ALL and the respiration but lit
tie affected; but the pulse very much quicken
ed. The frequency ofDr. Blagden's pulse in one
instance was doubled. Their watch-chains and
other pieces of metal about them, became so hot
that they could scarcely be touched When they
breathed upon the thermometers, the mercury i'm
mediatey sunk several degrees. Each act ofrespi
ration produced pleasant feeling of GOODNESS in the
nostris, and they cooled their fingers by breathing
upon them. In and by the same heated air which
they respired, eggs were roasted quite hard in
twenty minutes, and beef steaks were dressed in
thirty three minutes. And when the air was blown
ciently cooked in thirteen minutes.