The Davenport daily gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1869, 1856-12-27
THE DAILY GAZETTE.
TuE VALUE OF FRESH AIR.

The human lungs possess uP"o"o
9 ana hundred and sixty-six square
" varis Of respiratory surface, every sin
! i. noint Of which vast surface is IN
~ ss"ostaut and immediate contsct with
,hs sv atmosphere inspire. Let us then
.oo.;der ~ the quantity Of air which is
I,;ly presented to this surface. 1t
In IN Il course, vary according to age,
institution, and mode ofliying. The
aoantity Of air received at any ordin,
arr Inspiration, without any effort at
ai il. according to DR. Smith, about
@ ane pipt. Considering eighteen res
,irstions to take place in one minute,
sbout eighteen pints fpure air are
necessary for sustaining healthfnl life
auripg that short period. One little
minute Of healthfnl life cannot be en-
iOyed without eighteen pints ofpure
,n s;r being defused over that wonderful
s.tent Of delicate capillary net work
connected with the lungs. The guam
tity requisite for an hour Of health will
inns be one thousand and eighty pints.
And. to continue the calculation, dur
inc one days healthful existence, TWEEN.
~ Eve thousand nine hundred and
twenty pints, or no less than sixty
hogsheads Of pure atmosphere, must
enter the lungs; and this is allowing
but one pint for each inspiration, and
but eighteen inspirations for each
minute, though it must be clear to all
that during active exercise it frequent
IL happens that in one minute OF time
more than twice eighteen inspirations
take place, and considerably more than
a pint of air enters the lungs at sim
gs Inspiration.
Now, this immense volume of air
j. on purpose to give life to the liquid
essence ot our food--life to the dead
blood. Until acted upon by the atmoss
phere. the fluid which is traversing
the lungs is, to all intents and pnr-
poses, dead; and, consequently. total
iy incapable Of repairing worn strnc-
lures, of carrying on functions, or
maintaining any vitality in the system:
nay, it even contains in its elements q
considerable quantity of pernicious
poison. brought to the lungs to be
given out i'm the act Of breathing, lest
t should kill the human fabric. The
poison alluded to is carbonic acid
10 breath in an atmosphere OF car
bonic acid, is death, As rapid as it is
certain.
Allow me to remind you that in the
human body the blood circulatss once
in two and half minutes. In two
and halt minutes all the blood con
,ained in the system traverses the res
piratory surface. Every one, then,
who breathes an impure atmosphere
two and half minutes, has every
part Of his blood acted on by the vi
tiating air. Every particle has become
less vital, less capable Of repairing
structures, or of carrying functions;
and the longer such air is inspired the
more impure it becomes, and the more
corrupt grows the blood. Permit me
to repeat that, after breathingitwo and
4 half minutes an atmosphere incapa-
he Of properly oxygenating the fluids
which are traversing the lungs, every
irop Of blood in the human being is
more or less poisoned; and in two and
half minutes more even the minutest
part ofall mans fine wrought organs
has been visited and acted upon by
this poisoned huid-the tender, deli
cate eye; the wakeful ear; the sensa-
tive nerves; the heart, the brain; to.
gether with the skin, the muscles, the
bones throughout their structure---in
short, the entire being. There is not
apoint in the human frame but has
been traversed by vitiated blood--not
apoint but must have suffered in
Jury.