Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1849-05-28
MISCELLANEOUS.
IA. A.iu.a!and Vegetable Kingdom.
Y4IEIR RELATIONS TOWARD, EACH"VHER

4 THEIR RELATIONS COW ARDS E.ACfiSaHfR
We Give place, with great pleasure, 10 the subjpued
interesting communication upon the relations existing
between tie Animal aad Vegetable Kingdoms, J. De
read with profit by ALL all ris no little food for ye
Election upon TILE invisible workings Of nature.
For The Richmond Republican.
SeS,rs Editors = send you these lines upon the.
relations which Tie Segeaba and Animal kingdoms bear
to each other and hope they may prove worthy Of in
.rtion III your very valuable paper. And here permit
me 10 premise my remarks bv few observations upon
oxygen gas, whlrh paysso important part IN nature,
and must be alluded to in the sequel How often a.
tlnrs Which have struck enc generation with awe, be
come common place with another Il 50 happened shat.
though from time u time after the thirteenth century
different gaseous substances We're accidentally discovered,
they MI possessed the quality Of eAtlngulShlng combus
tion and hence when breahed We're deSructse Of ami
NAL life. HE doctrine that these were only siat-d
f1ns IF the atmosphere. seemed very plausible. and
things went on in tliswa un'il the middle " the lass
century when the capital discovery made by Or.
Pre>tley that the air IS not simple substance; and that
far from being the only existence Of The kin shere IS
great family q analogous dies. each Ofhe mem bsrs
If which have peculiar traits YOU nscarcry form
estimate of this dlscOyery-Such was the revolution 1t
produced II Al science, but especially chemistry. Priest
leg found that this os,gen-fort give it under the
name BY Hhch now pasSess-WaS absolutely essential,
N all then known. the support of fame and Are.
Ana that animal life depended II; that nan. by
ntflllU l lilllfu SVicts NpuiH S'Jl sSIdu>t II VI
it, gas and that Su cation would follow. HE atmos
phere the grand reSersolrof this principle from which
every fhnr havn. the attributes O'An animal abstracts
it. 4 LA. been >hn,s. sat single man will each con
sumo ab.us 500 pounds weight. Considering therefore
the ENORMOUS amount .: animal life, There mus. be
aa,. tendency aIte, '.e constitution o: the ., s'. in
proportion fake 'ro" oxygen az each inspiration.
ye r.nde, back at .ac. expiration a. almost equivalent
amount of bunic gas double change. the removal "
= vital element. snt the addition ia poisonous gas
;:ut EreSt- $50 Sh0,.d. .as in a,cl. st'n.srnefss
such a. h. made anr.s t. could go il: they.
MOI sufcienc: q: oHy.en.o as grea' increase o ear
bonic acid. t.are 'ecen' experiments prose .a' 'ht
,ykng effects are. "hen - animals are made
~ respite atmOsphtses os different constsut0nSuch
as these Witnessed in .h. ofchu' form an; YhuTc
ether d remarkable discovery. not commonly sup.
posed D.. the a. .. ,ea's but made by Eer.elius. who
weGty'our years ao. gave the most extraordinary and
in scientific view the mus important instance THE kind
yes Produced the instantaneous and deep sleep Brought
by The respiration Of hydrogen-a fact which. IN The
discussions about HE prory OF 'hai discovery has
been strangely forgotten. From the effects which thus
arise. when ,he. constitution 0: the medium we breathe
is ans degree disturbed j. necessarily follows that ever
since animal lie appeared on 'hs sarGhs he conpoSlllon
% 'he als haze been nearly unchanged Eu' her.
arises great difficulty lflhe life o: men and s1la.al'
can only is conducted ia sue. medium our atnos
phere, and if such extensive changes as have sluded
to are constantly Impressed on the air by thoss t.!ng.
how does il come pass that. after the lapse OF fes
years i. does gather POISONOUS quality lhsre m.s;
be agency continually at wOr. sending 10 prevent
that result.
The consideration Of VIA. That aeencs il. introduce.
us to the second branch of Ire.ey's discovery. IT,
had put mice in glass containing atmospheric air
closely stopped and found usual that they died OF sui
location as the air became sufficient impure by
their brearhng-an absolutely poisonous quality being 40
sumed But If few vegetable leaves or small plant
We're placed in the glass and exposed the sun very
Shn tpp AIRED
power Of supporting animal life regalned. Here
Them unexpected Tesulta discovery thai gave
solution toa the difficulty and which has been verified
III its mnutes details by more modern experiments.
has exposed the wonderful and Interesting fact that plants
and ANNALS sand IN relation OF aniagOnISn 70 one
another; that whatever changes The tends impress
on tile air, the other undOes and that while animal:
discharge their duty in consequence # their being liz
Ing and moving things, plants perform shers under The
influence Of the light OF tina sun, for these changes do no
20 Oh at night.
Let Us look these facts by the aid Of modern cheVs
try promising that oxygen is invisible substance, ex
snng in the air and That carbonc acid arises from 1T
union with carbon When charcoal or carbon burns
It is merely uniting with Atmospheric oxygen, and tA
resulting cabonc acid escapes away Invisible tulm
So tou. when a man breahes he draws oxygen iron
the air. distributed t. all paris Of his system and com
binng therein with carbon, Turns into car5onIc acid
: which is expelled in every expiration Every ANNA
therefore is oXydizng machine, the physical end OF IT
existence being 70 TOD llt all oxygen ana give udCh
stead carbUnic acid gas. With plants it is the reverse
exactly As long the SIN shining upon them, they
tke clrbonic acid from the air, and decJnposng 1t BY
their leaves they free its oxygen, which escapes
! way, its carbon they appropriate to their use win
they form their various parts stems, roots, Seed &c
but they doths only So long the shines, and whei
+ night aud winter the process stops The ANNA
therefore takes from the air oxygen and turns mo car
oonc acid the plant takes that carbonc acid and Turns
i bark into oxygen, which has thus discharged tne
office Of yinu 1bon from the bodies Of animals, and
giving it as nutriment the plants In what an inter
stnG relation % the ro kingdoms, the animal and veg
eabe thus stand to another, not alone as respect
the air il maintaining lis constitution UNIFORM oy nu
l. ua rnanzaon Int also as respects their structures
The elements Of which plants are now t9rned nave y
been derived from the preexstin9 parts OF animals; an
r the elements Of which animals row consIs from ,he pre-
existing parts Of p'aas. Here, then we are leo 10
nIot renarkahe c,nclusion Ifihe air for thousands
years has remained unchanged, aud If these antagoniS