Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1860-01-21
Facts About the Bodv.

bones are composed of animal and earthly ma
terlals, the former prcdominating in youth
and the latter in old age, rendering the bones
brittle. The most important of these bones is
the spine, which is composed of twenty four
small bones, called the vcrtcbrm, one on top
of the ether, curiously hooked together and
fastened by elastic igamcntS, forming pillar
by which the human body is supported
The bones arc moved by the muscles, of
which there are more than 500. The red
meat or beef, the fat being excluded, is the
muscular fabric of the on There are two
sets OF muscles, one to draw the bones one
way, and another to draw them back again.
We cannot better describe the muscles than
comparing them to fine elastic thread bound
up In their cases of skin. Many muscles ter
inmate in tendons which are stout cords, such
as may be seen travcrsing the back of the
hand, just without the skin, and which can
be observed to move when the hand is open
or shut. Every motion VIC make, even the
involuntary one of breathing, is performed
| through the agency of muscles.
In adults there are fifteen quarts of blood,
each weighing about two pounds. This blood
is of two kinds, artcrial and vcnous. The first
is the pure blood, as it leaves the heart to
nourish the frame, and is of bright vcrmil.
lion color The last is the blood as it runs to
the heart loaded with the impurities of the
body, to be there refined, and is of purple
line. Every pulsation of the heart sends out
two ounces of artcrial blood, and as there arc
from 20 to so beats in minute, a hogshead
of blood passes through the heart every hour.
In fovcrS the pulsationS arc cxcelcrated and
consequently death cnsucs if the fever is not
checked
The stomach is boiler, if we may use
such figure, which drives the human engine.
Two sets of muscles, crossing each other, turn
the food over and over, ehurning 1T upin the
gastric juice till it has been reduced to the
consistency of thin paste. This process re-
quircs from two to four hours.
Emerging from the stomach the food en-
tcrs the small intcstincs. where it is mixed
with the bile and pancrcatic juice, and con
vcrtcd into chyc These small ntestincs are
twenty-four feet long, closely packed of course,
and surrounded through their whole length
with small tubes which arc like sockets, ard
drawing off the chylc, empty into a large tube
named tho thorac duct, which runs up the
backand discharges thccontents into the jug
ular vein, whence it passes to the heart to as
Sist in forming the artcrial blood
The lungs are two bags connected with the
open air by the windppc, which branches
into innumerable small tubcs, all over the in
side of the lungs, each terminating in a min
ute air cell The outer surface Of these air
cells is full of small capilarics, infinitely small
veins, thin mcmbraqe only dividing the air
from the blood.
The impure portion of vcnous blood is car
bonic acid, which, having n stronger affinity
for a.,
membrane to gaseous state, combines with
the air in the air cells and is expelled with
the next respiration. Meanwhile the oxy-
gen of the air unites with the blood, and be-
comes purified; then passing into the heart,
the body as lifc-giving and arterial blood.
The skin serves an important purpose in
carrying off impurities of the system, 1t Is
troverscd with capillarics of the body. 1t is
also perforated with countless pcrspiration
twenty-cight miles, and which drains away
every twenty four hours or ivc-cighths of all
the body discharges.
The nerves are another curious feature of
the animal economy They are, however, but
little understood They act as fcelers to tell
IIic WAITS vi InC DOu anu dlSO as CONDUCTORS
to will the muscles to act. They branch out
from the brain and spine over the whole frame
in infinitely fine Gbrics, like branches or twigs
to trees.
UNCLE Ron GREY TERRIFYING A NORTH
ERNER.-Most people who travel up and
down the Central (Ga.) Railroad know Uncle
Bob Grey, the landlord of the eating house at
MilIon. A good sizod volume might be filed
with anecdotes of him--each one of which
would set readersin roar. The last one is
told in the Waynesboro' News. We copy It,
and are willing to be qualified that those who
know the old man will enjoy hearty laugh
thereat
On the down train the other afternoon at
Milcn, there was a gentleman hailing from
North of Mason and Dixon's line, who had
heard, a few stations above, very determined
expression of opinion as to what should be
done with the entire North. Stepping up to
the landlord, our stranger inquired the fare
to Augusta. Unoie Bob being a little deaf,
ran his head into his bosom to draw forth Ills
ear-trumpet, whom the gentleman, thinking
he intended drawing pistol, and that death
was starring him in the face, cried out
" Don't shoot Mister, for God sake--don't
shoot / am going to leave on the next train"
Uncle Bob was astonished the gentleman
Gas soop as unclo B. had drawn mis- "pistol :"
and applied it) saw his mistake and vanished
amid the roars Of the bystaIacrs.