The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1864-03-04
Address by John Nichols. N. D.. before
the Farmers Club Of Clarldon.

'N''oN "PO" "o " yVui u''a'ou W uu-
dress you Mt this. your festival, kindly pre-.
sen,cd by Judge Taylor, I only regret that
| cannot meet your reasonable expectations {;
for, though NE son of farmer. and reared
on New England farm, and hence always
feeling a deep interest in agriculture and
sgriculturis,s. yet, from my subsequent
employ,nents and associations. this essay
will doubtless DO found to savor moro of
tho lecture and scbool.room, aud Of books,
than Of the practical farmer. .s..
But, waving further apology. I will pro.
coed to offer few thoughts suggested by
the subject proposed for discussion. This
embraces two important topics, both look.
ing, il is true, to ono and the same result,
"tbe health. strength and longevity of the
people" To tue former, including cleauli.
ness. ventilation, draining, Sc, We will first
turn our attention, and, slough their ncces.
atty is admitted at the outeot, yet, 10 order
to show the reasons for this necessity more
fuM and thns prepare tho way for practica.
view Of the subject, wo may do well to ex.
anime briefly some topics that undcrlio the
whole matter. First among those 10 the at
mosphere. Waving the questions of its OK.
tent, density, elasticity aud kindred proper
ties,as we'll as its important Offices in promot-
ing conformity Of temperature, general sa.
lubrity distribution Of moisture, aud it's being
vitality essential, not only TO the life aud
growth of all animated nature, but also to in
numorable inorganic changes constantly in.
progress, VIC will consider it's elements and
their proportions. its impurities, and other
phenomena moro Immediately connected
With our subject and With ourselves. Tho
atmospheric elements arc two separate
gasses, oxygen anG nitrogen, differing frcm
each other in many important particulars,
and yet having many physical properties in
common. Their proportions are, in bulk or
volume, about ono of tho former to four of
the latter; by weight tho ratio is little
less. That these are tho proportions fixed
by the All. wise Creator, is demonstrated by
tho fact established by actual experiment,
that air, wherever il is found, on the noun.
tain top, so rare that II will hardly sustain
life, in the valley or in the depths Of the
Added to the above named elomonts. u
small quantity Of carbonic acid 10 found,
averaging perhaps four parts in ten thou.
sand, aud small quantity of wstery vapor.
The former is tho product of combustion,
vegetable and snimal decomposition aud
rospirat'nn tho latter. Of evaporation and
vnporization.
l, would here be exceedingly interesting
and not inappropriate. to stop and sec how
Iu6nite Wisdom has provided for tho do.
composition Of the carbonic acid. which. in
excess. would soon destroy all animal life
to trace its particles, formed from the blaz
ing wood; see them caught in the meshes o.
the green leaf, and there, yielding up thei'
woody elements to nourish another living
tree, while the pure oxygen, freed from their
embrace, escapes to mingle with the sur.
rounding air, and thus the equilibrium il
maintained. Suffice il TO say, in tho econo.
my of nature there is no superfuity, no
lack, nothing lost. This air is truly called
our vital breath. for on its purity our health
our very life, depends. We now pass nat
uraIly, by association, 10 the function o.
respiration. tho act of breathing, inhalipl
air into and expelling it again from thu
lungs. These latter organs, as principals
aided by the diaphragm, (midriff,) the mus
cles of tho chest, those connecting the ribs
and those covering tho abdomen, as auxil
iaries, constitute the system or machinery b.
which this function is carried on. Now, !
will be necessary, in order to understand
this subject, to look at the structure of th,
lungs little more minutely. Any ono WHIT
has observed tho hgats Of a domestic ani
NAL. has very good idea of their genera
appearance but, on closer inspection, the!
will be found filled with email air tubes
sub. divisions of the trachea or windpipe
and each tubo Terminating 10 small sa,
not larger than o millet seed. On still
closer scrutiny, each Of these little sacs vii
bo found onveloped by complete no.w orl
of minute bloodvesseIs, called, from thei
hairlike size, oapillaries, and all this unite'
, together by spongy material of cousidera
I BILE strength and elasticity. Now, througl
this mesh of extremely small blood. vessels, =
I how small we may conceive, when we recol
loot that the sacs they envelope are not lar
! ger than millet seed,-a the blood in th
J whole body must pass, amounting. as
does in a medum.sized man. to about thin
g ty pounds weight, and that 10 about Mre
r minutes Of time. Now, what is the intent G
these closely combined systems of vital ml
chnery, by which tho air and blood ar
brought into close juxtaposition Th
. blood, carried with such speed through th
lungs, has been the rounds of the whole Cyl
TEN, freighted with material for wastin
:, nerve, muscle. bone,--in 6ne, every strucl
>. ure and fibre in the whole body,-has CON
!. back to the heart, not only impoverished
). but laden with impurities taken up on II
o way. TO be elected from the systom. Thi
b blood, as fss, as received by the heart,
h sent to the lungs, and there II must be pur
q.