New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-02-18

BY PROP. yoUnAS'

dead mineral matter h Organized or uansfosmea
i,ao living compounds in the mechanism OF the
rSap,. We shall this evening undertake 70 sno"
how IL 10 that these organized vegetable com
tocnds become transsrmcd into the bodies OF am
uals. The distinction between the vegetable ana
snirnsl world mar seem obvous, butt D oy no me@n'
% clear ss we might at FRS. be led 10 imagine.
eour,e easy to distinguish tree from q ord pelcn7'
upon a. hut when we undertake 10 nno inc cAS' Ano
which separates these two worlds Of orgsnizancn
no,so sppsreut Indeed, If we rely upon eS cna'
seieries shs wholly fail to discsrn 'he true ne o.
,vi,ion Be-, again Chemistry solves the prooicm AID
.eo,ds an uperfpg clue their Distinctive properAe.
They are known BY the nature o. tnif ntefna changes
ttese are snta gontc. Plants CONSTRUCT or nuid up or
ssn,,sd roa,,ey snirnsls destroy deoganze these
eo,u,opds and return their elements 10 the mineral
voyd We Judge Of plants and animals by the peculiar
Ease, which they set tree these evidence the nature Oh
the internal ehspges But before The animal can destroy
or deoornpose organic matter which does through the
reepr story functionit nus first build sef up by acts
OF nutrition We consider thn first feature Of animal
chemistry tonight The compounds TO winch me vegs-
able kingdom eiyes rse countless but those wncn
are capable Of being transformed into the bocies OF an
mails are fewshe nutritious products OF vegetation are
few and simple Our dishes may be nun1beres- 10 name
and aspect out they contain but email number Of CON.
poneuf prircipIes There n more simplicity IN animal
amsp,stion than the vsrOas theories oil diete1cs would
lead a. TO suppose.
The ailments or nutritious principles OF food, conn-
ned the Lecturer divided into two great classes
The one u distinguished By the absence Of the element
nitrogen, and IL termed nOn-ntrogenized tae oner
CONTAINING TINT element, and called nirosenzed sif
rne1ts The fret uifroceuiZed contain the exc.
neuts carbon, hydrogen and oxygen ana are diTlhei
into three groups depending upon the relative propoi
ton of these elements. Mr. foufnRns iiustrated inc
different composition Of these groups by reference TO
bis beautiful chart Of chemical disgrams. The sugar
and starch group distinguished by All possessing
an identical proportion OF carbon, ana Dy having an
eous number OF hydrogen and oxygen ATOMS, these ee
t.sn f, he %
Starch CONTESTS OF ~ atoms Of carbon or charcoal ana ~
Of water. Another OF these non-nitrogenzed groups
comprises the vegetable acidsthose substances winch
inpart sourness to fruits Thcse contain yarane pro
portions Of carbon, very small amount Of hydrogen,
and excess Of oxygen. The third group were tne
family Of fats and oils which were seen TO be composed
smost entirely OF hydrogen and carbon with but avery
email amount Of oxygen The other cass Of siimentary
principles said Mr. comprises severn substances OF
very different external properties but all showing re-
msTksbe similarity OF chemical composition. Iney All
agree the exact proportion Of carbon, hydrogen, oxy
gen and nitrogen which they contain. and dier only IN
the email amount Of sulphur and phosp boas which they
possefsa amount 80 very smsll that It's cotnpsraiYs
tuanity has not yet been deteuni,ed These com.
pounds named albumen hbrine, cssoinc ant II -
remarkable that whether derived from tie animal or
vegetable world, they are identical IN composition,
Thus We have vegetable and animal abumen vegetable
and animal fbrine, and vegetable and animal casene
accordingly they obtained from either animals or
plants None OF these substances said the lecturer wi
sustnn life alone; this has been often proved They
must be mingled together. Animals require mixed
diet but how shall be mixed. Here fortunately, SAID
Mr. Youmans, nature comes 10 our sid-she has pre-
pared a recipe We find il in the composition OF milk.
The true tyI all diet Here the amentary ingredients
are udicousy mingled TO furnish the elements for
forming the entire human body. TIE true philosophy
Of dietetcs IL to be found In milk pail Tie lecturer
then drew attention 20 tables In which the composition
Of milk various cereal grains, meat, etc were exhibited
broad black line was drawn through the sheet con
tanning the tables the Ditrogenzed principles being
all placed above H. and the nonnrogenized principles
below IT, Their relative proportion IN various articles
of food were thus seen glance. The lecturer then
proceeded ~ speak Of the culinary changes which foods
undergo prepara0ry 10 the table lie said he had hard
IL time 70 touch upon this subject and could go into no
detail Heat the agent usod In cooking lie very power
full 10 alter and destroy oil organized compounds II IL
variousy applied in boiling roasting, frying and with
diGereuf results, both In kind and degree. Many OF
these changes not yet well undcrstood-ihey have
not been sufficiently studied OF all the ahmentsry
principlep alhumen IL the most promptly altered by
heat II exists In vegetables, and also In animas-in
their blood and also dinused throughout the hesh in
liquid form, in which Il dissolSes in water small
amount Of heat converts into hard brittle solid in
soluble Ia wafer forming cCagnlaed slbumcn. as we
zee IN boiled white Of eggs IT, therefore piece Of
frcsh meat placed Ina cold water, the abumen tends 10
dissolve QUIT is Withdrawn from the flesh. II the
meat is put In boiling wster the abamen on the con-
trsry, coaglatos al over the surface, forming crust
which cuts of the solvent action OF The water.
Wethereforc see said Mr.. iournans that where II "
desirable 10 retain the abunnous Juices In substances
20 be boiled they should be added to the boiling water
II on the contrary wish 10 extract these juices as IN
making SOUP. opposite - hdtiirtielc-No
add The solids 10 cold water and gradually raise the tenn
persture Prof Leibg whohss Investigated this subject
says that In sailing meat the brine which Is formed, con-
tains large proportion OF the most nurcious juices OF
the nesh BY sailing therefore, the normal composition
of meat IL essentially altered The necessity OF iood
arises from the and wear Of all parts OF the sys
tenn Az the body used It's atoms die and are carried
sway. Az the dead atoms perish, new ones must be
constantly supplied OF different kindr as the various
parts of the body may require. The body therefore,
analyses the food that Is taken into II hseparatesn
into IL elements Withdrawing one part heresnd another
there IL needs them Cor different purposes and in diff
ferent places Rut before these constituents Of food can
be separated must first be dissolved just as chemist
must first dsaolve mineral before lac can separate It's
elements OF anslyse IT, THIS solution oil food Is called
dsetion Ii begins mechanically in the mouth by mas
ucaton, justss the chemist first brushes his Rlnel al
with poslle and mortar II Is then earned Into the
stomach. which poars from u. walls hqno SHOWN y
Eating motion of that organ. Tue active principles Of
the gasre juice Rcs chiefly murisuc with perhaps
tactic and phosphoric and peculiar organic principle
termed pcpsin II is always distinctly acid This
liquid attacks and dsoycs the nitr0geniEed amentary
principles the other class remains unchanged and un
touched IN the stomach stomach digestion by means
INSTANCES portion Of which Is Immediately absorbed
by the veins Of the stomach and carried NJ into the
circulating system. The residue OF the food now
passes forward into The hrs, portion OF the
intestine called the duodenum Into the duOdenum
there Is poared from the liver liquid called BILE aud
from the pancress smother liquid called psncrcae Juice
both alkaline from the presence OF sod Ia considerable
quantities. These alkaline juices seize upon the
undssolyed Hhmentary compounds starch, sugar, and
the ely bodies dissolve snd transform them
plene the act OF digestion. but reoeutiy that Der
nard OF France has demonstrated that the Office Of the
pancrcsic juice Is 20 dissolve the fatty substances and
Tor this demonstration he lately received the prize OF the
PARIS Academy OF Sicnces This was important
point gained la physiological science In the expert
OF DIR Beaumont upon 81 Msrtn the oils
float und ested upon the surface o the contents OF the
stomach was thence rsshy concluded that the system
had power OF digestag il, Snd systems of detccs
formed In which these booies were inserdictct. Tae
dissolved portions OF the food which are 10 become blood
taken up from the ioteSii0e by innumers-le
little vessels termed aeca which carry forward their
contents and deliver them into large vein in wAich
they are swep; along into the great current OF the cir
calstion. We may now, said Mr.. y, briefly inquire
into Thea hnsl Of these classes Of ailments in
the animal system II may be regarded payso.ogl
cal FACT settled beyond reasonable doubt thai the deSt
nation oi the non nitrogenlzel ahmensry principles Is
TO be burned throughout the body by oxygen in,rodac
ed IN respiration tor the maintenance OF animal