Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-09-02

hydrogen into water BY the application Of red hot iron
an electric spark by the insertion OF piece OF pau
mum, an immense amount OF electricity made active
as stated by Faraday, so IL 10 evident that similar
amount Of the same omnpresent agent must be active
when the effect produced in the living organism
and Berzeus Of the most eminent chemical philoso-
piers so frequently referred to by Farsday accordingly
attributes the evolution of light and heat which takes
place during combustion to electrical action In all cases
4 Of combustion
Baron ebig asserts that the combustion Of carbon and
hydrogen takes place in the lungs Professor Draper that
IL occurs the systemic and pulmonary capiares and
Dr. Carpenter seems inclined to unite both these hypo-
theses but both may be doubted for the
We hnd animal heat equally dused in every part of
the body where the circulation of the blood is equally
tive and the facility Of radiation equal also, Except in
the veins and arteries, as will appear presently which
could be the If its evolution localized for
the living system is bad conductor of heat and the dead
a worse. 2. The internal parts of the body are
than the surface Notwithstanding the latter is
equally supplied with capillaries except perhaps the
BRAIN the liver, the kidneys, the stomach and bowels,
&c. which perform the most active functions and there
fore require and receive the most blood whereas accord
ing Lebg theory the lungs should be far hotter than
any other part s. Magnus has proved that arera blood
contains at least ten and half per cent OF gases and
yenous and half OF the former, six and half
parts Of the ten and half per cent is carbonc acid two
and half parts oxygen, and and half nitrogen OF
the latter five and half parts Of the seven and half per
is carbonic acid and parts oxygen and
nitrogen This proves that in proportion to the re-
spectve quantities OF gases in arteal and venous blood
the yenous contains more carbonic acid tan the artera
for as 1Gl 61: 4l nearly instead OF i've and half,
would be if the proportion of gases ware uniform
throughout Nsw the combustion Of carbon we're con-
fined exclusively the lungs Lebig assumes the
tera blood ought contain at least as much earbonic
acid the yeuous for gases permeate the living It's
in proportion to their humidity AID carbonic acid
has stronger affinity for aqueous fluids than oxygen or
nitrogen and there must consequently be loss by
permeaton through the walls of the vessels and skin
which is known to take place But, If the combustion
reserved for the caplares, Prof Draper would
hay yrnp hp m
arera blood except what reeners the arteries through
the pulmonary caparies Of whose chief functions
is to eliminate it from the blood and to take in oxygen
and electricity for the combustion OF additional carbon ana
hydrogen Aud if the oxidation of carbon perform
ed equally in the lungs and caplaries the quantity Of
carbone acid would be less in the venus than in the arte
rial blood in proportion to the loss by permeation. But
the fact that the proportional quantity o! carbonc acids
greater in venous than in areria bleed proves that IS
formed principally in the arteries by combustion and
partly in the capllares by disintegraton But expert
mens showing the relative proportion OF the gases IN ar
teria and Blood taken from different correspond
ing parts Of the living body still wanting and without
this distinction defue results cannot be arrived at Lee
cam has shown that when the temperature OF venors
blood is nnetyeght degrees that of arteral is hun
dred degrees Now, since in all heat increases in
duplicate ratio to the proximity of its source when the
conducting medium is uniform this fact alone that
the combustion takes places in the arteries which pene
rae all parts and dfuse the heat to different parts, in
proportion to the amount of blood that passes through
them On other hypothesis the uniform distribu-
L
/ nomeaa of local Inflammation be accounted for.
The question here, also, presents itself What agency
kndes and combines the carbon and hydrogen with the
oxygen in the living organism This question has never
been attempted be answered. but like all other effects
which not understood the development Of animal
heat referred to the ghostly vitality presumed,
without the slightest proof to exist in all living beings,
vegetable and animal Thompson states that CARBON
not be combined with oxygen by heat less than eight
hundred degrees, hydrogen with oxygen by tempe
nature less than thousand degrees Now it is evident
ohrofbl
ture in the living system, with any that approaches
it and consequently the popular theory Of caorifcaton
is utterly unenabe the supposion that oxygen Is the
sole active combining agent Psychologists hold it.
But Faraday has shown that oxygen and hydrogen
bine very readily by the Intervention Of electricity pro-
ducing slow combustion that escaped his notice till his
attention was drawn to it BY accident and i is well
known that similar slow combustion, also evolving car
bonc acid takes place in the termination Of Seeds owing
to the absorption of electricity from the atmosphere, by
the dasase deposited in them for that purpose That
electricity ia the active agent nthese is further
demonstrated by the following fact: Vegetables absorb
aud decompose carbonc acid and water by the influence
Of solar light but cannot do under the influence Of any
amount Of artificial light or artificial light and heat COM
bned There is therefore, other agent contained in
the solar beams besides light and heat and the following
experiment taken from Groves treatise the Correlation
| of the Physical Forces will show what it is
"a prepared daguerreotype plate enclosed in box filed
with water having glass front with shutter it be-
tween this glass and the plate grdiron Of silver wire the
plate connected with extremity galvanometer COIL
and the gdiron Of wire whons extremity Of Bregues he
Tx exemities Of the galvanoeter and helix
connected by we and the needle to AS
beam Of either day Light Hydrogen light (ozygen
and hydrogen contain greater quantity OF electricity than
the weight of any other elemen dis by raising the
shutter permitted mpinge upon the plate the needles
detected Thus light being the initiating force we get chsmi-
cal action the plate electricity circulating through the
magnetism in the coil heat in the helix and motion in the
| needles"
Now, since electricity is the with chemical af-
nifty and the decomposition Of carbonc acid and water
by vegetables both chemical actions, tits evident that
the combination Of the elements Of these compounds by
the animal organism, being chemical action ALSO is pro-
drced by the same agent electrcy for nature never
makes use Of diversity Of agents to produce the
similar effects We prepared to apply the cleo
trcal theory directly to the circulation Of the blood
1t has been observed that the air inspired contains
variable quantity Of free electricity and that is set
free by the decomposition Of atmospheric air in the lungs
The evidence in behalf of the former assertion is here
omitted for want Of ROOM and because it not likely that
any will dispute it, the second assertion ia sufficient
y proved by the fact that pure oxygen will not support
life, while atmospheric air does support it. though the
latest experiments prove that the nitrogen OF the
air does enter the blood through the lungs, at least
not constantly The electricity from these two sources
assisted by that brought by the pneumogastrc
keeps the lungs constantly positive to every other part
the living system and the blood in its passage through
the pulmonary capares becoming equally positive with
the lungs is expelled by them and carries with it oil the
electricity set free just stated which gnes the carbon
and hydrogen contained in the blood at the first nspra
ton after BIRTH and maintains the combustion during e
This combustion probably sets free additional quant
y Of electricity and all the electricity that enters the
arteries and is set free in them is carried of by the
branches Of the sympathetic (Which have been
shown to accompany aud surround all the arteries with