The mountain Democrat., 1863-05-02
Use q tAe Mostrlls.

L
be avoided, and pulmonary complaints
loss much Ci tSeiT S1:zsSi.tJ -
ing remarks are from Mr.. Catlin's work
on "The Breath Of Life, and are worthy
. careful reading:
The mouth Of man, as well as that of
the bFuteS, was made for the reception
and maSticatiOn Of food for the stomach
and other purposes; but the nostrils,
with their delicate and fibrous Innings for
purifying and warming the air in its pas
sage, have been mysteriously constructed
and designed to stand guard over the
lupRe--t0 measure the air and equalize
It's draughts, during the hours Of repose
The atmosphere is ncNeAese pure enough
GA-.. o. ..-S<2>A..- an q ~ - a.
this mysterious refining process there
fore the imprudence and danger Of ad.
mitting it in an unnatural way in double
quantities upon the lungs, and charged
with the surrounding epidemic or cOnta-
gious infections Of the moment. The
| impurities Of the air which are arrested
by the intricate organizations and mucus
in the nose are thrown again from its
interior barriers by the returning breath;
ami the tingling excitements of the few
which pass them, cause the muscular
inVolitions Of sneezing, by which they
are violently and successfully resisted.
The air which enters the lungs is as
different from that which enters the nos.
trils as distilled water is different from
the water in an ordinary cistern or in
frog pond. The arresting and purifying
process Of the nose upon the atmosphere
with its poisonous ingredients passing
through it though less perceptible, is not
less distinct, nor less important than that
Of the mouth, which stops cherry stones
and fsh bones from entering the stomach.
The intricate organization in the struc-
ture Of man, unaccountable as it is, seems
in measure diYested of mystery, when
we End the same phenomena (and others
perhaps even more surprisingly in the
physical conformation of the lower order
Of animals; and we are again more as
toniShed when We see the mysterious
sensiuveness of that organ in instinct
lively and inStantaneously separating the
gases, as we'll as arresting and rejecting
the material Impurities of the atmosphere.
This unaccountable phenomenon is seen
in many cases. We see the fish, sur
rounded with water, breathing the air
upon which it exists. 1t is known fact
that man can inhale through his nose, for
4 certain time, mephitic air in the bottom
Of well, without harm; but if he opens
his mouth to answer question, or calls
for help in that position, his lungs are
closed, and he expires. Most animals are
able to inhale the same for considerable
| Il nf nd
doubt solely from the fact that their res
piration is through the nostrils, in which
the poisonous efHuvia is arrested. There
are many mineral and vegetable poisons
also, which can be inhaled by the nose
without harm, but if taken through the
mouth destroy life. And SO with poison
GUS reptiles and poisonous animals. The
man who kills the rattlesnake OF the cop
peThead, and stands alone over it, keeps
his mouth shut, and receives no harm
but il he has companions with him, with
whom he is conversing over the carcasseS
of these reptiles, he inhales the poison
Gus effluvia through the mouth, and be.
comes deadly sick, and in some instances
death ensues. InfinitesSimal insects,
also, not visible to the naked eye, are in
habitating every drop Of water we drink,
and every breath of air we breathe and
minute particles of vegetable substances,
as well as Of poisonous minerals. and
even glass and silex,. which float imper-
ceptible on the air, are discovered coating
the respiratory organs Of man; and the
class of birds which catch their food in
the air with open mouths as they fly, re-
ceive these things in quantities, even in
the hollow Of their bones, where they are
carried and lodged by the currents Of
air end detected by microscopic inEesti-
cation.
Against the approach Of these things
to the lungs and to the eyes, nature has
prepared the guard by mucous and or
ganic arrangements, calculated to arrest
their progress. Were it not for the liquid
in the eye, arresting, neutralizing and
carrying out the particles Of dust COM
municated through the atmosphere, man
would soon become blind; and but for
the mucus in his nostrils, absorbing and
carrying off the poisonous particles and
effluvia for the protection of the lungs
and the brain, mental arrangement, con-
sumption of the lungs and death would
enSue.
How easy and how reasonable it is TO
suppose, then, that the inhalation of such
things to the lungs, through the expanded
mouth and throat, may be cause of con-
sumption and other fatal diseases attach
ing to the other respiratory organs and
how fair a suppositiOn, also, that the
deaths from the fearful epidemics, such
as cholera, yellow fever, and other pesti-
lences, such as are caused by the inhala-
tion Of animalculs in the infected dis.
tricts; and the victims of those diseases
are those portions of society who inhale
the grestest quantities of those poisonous
insects in the lungs and to the stomach.
In mans walking hours, when his
limbs, and muscles, and his mind are all
in action, there may be but little harm in
! inhaling through the mouth, if he be in q
healthy atmosphere; and atmoments Of
violent action and excitement it may be
necessary. But when he lies down al
night to rest from the fatigucs Of the day
! and yields his system and all his energies
,. to- the repose of sleep and his y0litiou
and all his powers of resistance are given
way to its quieting influence, if he grad
ually opens his mouth to the wides
strain, he let's the enemy in that chilli
his lungs-that racks his brain-tha
paralyzes his stomach-that gives him
the nightmare-brings imps and fairies
that dance before him during the night
! and during the following day, headache
toOthsche, rheumatism, dyspepsia an'
gout. .....
1 49,
HoNET CoMB PUDDING. cups Of -four
: i q r,,ns .of hOef snet chonDed fine: q cln