Weekly Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1853-1861, 1855-10-04
Facts abou the Human Body

There me two hundred and eight bones in l
the human body, exclusive Of the teeth
These homes ara composed Of animal ard car
thly materials, the former pTeaoiaina;ing In
youth and the latter in old age, rendering the
zone brittle. The most important Of the bones
is the spine, which Is composed of twenty
our small bones called the vertebre; one on
uop of the Other, curiously hooked together,
aud fastened by elastic lgtmerts, forming a
pillar, 80 TO speak, by which the human frame
Is supported.
The bones are moved by the muscles, OF
which there are more than five hundred.-
The re meat OF beef, the tat being eEclu led.
is the muscular fabric ofthc OK. There are
two sets of muscles, one 10 draw the bone one
way, and another TO draw il back again. We
cannot better describe tho muscles than by
comparing them to fine elastic threads, bound
up in their cases Of skin. Many muscles tor
inmate in tendons, which arc stout chords
such as may he seen traversing the back Of
the hand, just within the skin; and which
can be observed to move when the hand is
opened or shut. Every motion we MAKE;
even the involuntary ono of breathing is per-
formed through the agency OF the muscles.
In adult there are about fifteen quarts Of
blood, each quart weighing about two pounds
This blood IS Of two kinds, arterial and yien-
ous The first is the pure blood as it leaves
the heart TO nourish the frame and is Of
bright yermillion color. The Inst is the blood.
as it returns to the heart, loaded with the I'M
purties Of tho body, 10 be there roGDed and
Is Of purple hue. Every pulsation Of the
heart sends ont once about two ounces of ar
terial blood, and as there are from seventy to
eighty beats in minute. a hogshead Of blood
passes through the heart every hour. In fc-
verS the pulsations are accelerated; the waste
Of the body goes faster than it can resupcr-
ated; and consequently death cnsues fthc fe-
yer is not checked.
Tho stomach is the boiler If we may use
such figure, which drives tho human en-
CINE. Two sets Of muscles, crossing each
other traveT5ely, turn the food over and over
churuing it up IN the gostic juice till il has
been reduced tie consistency Of thin paste--
This process requires from two to four honrs
Emerging from the stomach, the food enters
the small intcstines, where il Is mixed with
bile and the pancreatic juice, aud converted
into chyIe. These SIN al intestines are TWEEN
ty-iour feet long, closely packed, OF course,
and surrounded through their whole length
with small tubes, which act like suckers, and
drawing of chile, empty it into larger tube,
named the thoracic duct which ruus up
the back, discharges its couteuts into the Jug
ular vein, whence It passes into the heart to
assist in forming arterial blood.
The lungs are two bags connected with
the open air oy the windpipe, which branch
es into inuumeable small tubes, all over the
inside of the lungs, each tube terminating in
minute air-cell. The other surface ofthese
air cells. is full Of capillaries, or infinitely
small veins, a thin membrane only d.vi ling
the air from tho blood. The impure porto
Of ve!uous blood is carbonic acid, whion hav-
ing stronger affinity for mir than for b.oud,
passes through this thin membrane, IN case
Gus state, combines with the air in the air
cells, aud Is expelled, with the uext expirl-
ton. Meantime the oxygen Of the cir unites
with the blood and becomes purified, then
passing into the heart, being mixed with chyle
1t IS forced through the body as lile-giving
aud aFtsrial blood.
The skin serves an important purl osc IL
carrying OF opportunities tiom the human
system, Il is traversed with tpillaries, which
coutaiu moro blood, III the aggregate, than all
the other capillarieS of the body. 1t is also
perforated with countless Precipitation tubes,
the united length OF which amount 10 twon-
eight mills. and which drain away from three
to four pounds OF vast matter every twenty
four hours, or fve-eigths ofall that the body
discharges.
The nerve arc another curious feature
the animal economy. They, are, however,
bur little understood. They act as feelers to
tel the wants of the body aud also as condu
tors TO Will the muscles to act. They branch
out from the brain and spine over the waole
frame. in inGniteiyre flores. like. the branches
aud twiga Of a tree.--Leiger.