Dakota City herald. [volume] (Dakota City, Neb.) 1857-1860, 1860-01-21
FACTS ABOUT THE BODY


There arc about two hundred bonos in Tho
human body, exclusive Of tho teeth These
bonea are composed Of animal and earthly
materials, the former predominating in youth
and the latter in old age, rendering the homes
brittle. The most important oG these bones
is the ep!ne, which is composed OF twenty.
four small bones, cal ed the ycr,,rbrr. one
ON the top Of the other, curiously hooked to-
gether and fastened by elastic igamonts form
ing pillay by which the human body is sup
ported.
The bones are moved by the muscles, e
which there are more than 500 The red meat
or beef, the fat being excluded, Is the muscu
lar fabric Of theox. There ave two sos Of
muscles, one to draw the bones ono way, and
another to draw them back agan Wooannot
better describe the muscles than comparing
them to 6ue elastic thread bound up IN their
cases Of skin. Many muscles terminate in
teudons, which are stout cords, such as may
be seen traversing the back OF the hand, just
without the skin, aud which cuu be obperyed
to move when the hand Is open or shut
Every motion we make, oven the Involuntary
one breathing, is performed through tho ageu-
cy Of muscles.
In adults there are fifteen quarts Of blood
eaoh weighing about two pounds. This blood
is Of two kinds, arlerial and yenous. The
hrst is the pure blood aH il leaves the heart to
nourish the frame, and is Of u bright vermil.
lion color. The last is the blood as 1t runs to
The heart loaded with the impurities Of the
body, to be there refined, and is ola purple
hue. Every pulsaion Of the heart sends out
two ounces Of arterial blood, and as there are
from 20 to so beats in minute, hogshead
Of blood paHsos through the heart every hour
In feyors the pulsation ere accelerated and
consequently death ensues if tho fever is not
che ked.
! The stomach is a boiler, If VIC may use such
a figure, which drives the human engine
Two sets OF muscles, crossing each other, turn
the food over and over, ohurning it up in the
gastric juice tiil it has been reduced to the
consistency cf thin paste This process
requires from two 70 four hours
EnerGing from the stomach the food enters
the small iGtestnes, where il is mi xcd with
the bile and pancreatio juice, and converted
into ohyle. These small utestines are TWEEN
ty-feur feet long, closely packed Of course
AMI surrounded through their whole length
with small tubes which are like sockets and
drawing III the chyie, empty into large tube
named the thoraio duct which runs up the
back and discharges the contents into the ju-
gular vein whencs II passes TO the heart to
assist in forming the arterial blood.
The lungs are two bags connected with the
open air by the wind pipe, which branches into
innumerable small tubes, all over the inside
of the lungs, each terminating in a minute air
cell. The outer surface Of these Dir cells is
full Of small oapIlla-Ies, infinite email veins, "A
thin membran only dividing the air from
the blood.
The impure portion Of venous blood is car
bonic acid, which. having a stronger affinity
for air than for blood, passes through this
membrance to a gaseous state, 60 mbinos with
the air in the air cells, and is expelled with
the next respiration. Meanwhile the oxygen
Of the OR unites with the blood, and becomes
purified; then passing into the heart, being
mixed with chylo, It's forced through the
body as life- giving and arterial blood
The skin serves an important purpose in
carrying sf impurities Of the system. It is
travCrsd with oaPillaries Of the body. 1t is
s.sO perforated with countless Precipitation
tubes, tho united length Of which amounts to
twenty. eight miles, and which drains away
from three to four pounds Of waste matter
every twenty four hours or fye-eighths Of all
the body discharges
The nerves are another curious feature of
the animal Q Slomy. They are, however, but
little understood, They act, as feelers to tell
the rnts Of the body, and also as conductors
&c TiI the muscles 20 act. They brauch out
from the brain aud spine over ths whole frame
in Infinitely hns Gbres, ike branches or twigs |
TO trees.