The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1868-06-27

Natural Causes of Death.

s. From the commencement OF life to tt
r. moment of death there are mechanic;
l. and chemical changes constantly an
d uninterruptedly going on in our bodie
5, For example, we eat and drink for th
It express purpose of providing material
e for repairing the waste of matter resul
y ing from the working of the machinery
e A soft, oily fluid is poured into an axl
! box OF car wheel to prevent it fror
, wearing away the metal. Our bone
: are all frequently renewed as we'll as ou
2 flesh, from infancy to age; but not in
. day or an hour. Nature acts persistent
; ly, but accomplishes nothing by spas
modic efforts.
AS soon as particle of lime which
was held in solution in food is placed ir
the stomach, it is carried to the heart by
appropriate vessels, and from thence car
ried into artery to be distributed to a
point where most needed in some bone
Then the little particle is deposited, and
becomes incorporated with the substance
of the hard structure where it was left.
1t becomes yitalized in its new connec-
tion. An old particle, or as it were, an
old brick, is detached from the wall to
give place to new one. It is carried
out Of the body as useless matter, as its
vitality has been expended. So the par
ticles are perpetually changing places.
This is vigorous life and health so long
as this process is regularly performed.
In the lapse of time the vital artisans,
such as the liver, spleen, kidneys, heart,
stomach, etc, are weary of years of in
cessant toll, and fail to act with that sys-
tematic activity characteristic of younger
days. BY this relaxing new particles
are not sent forward often enough, nor
are the e6ete ones removed quickly, and
consequently there is mechanical irreg-
ularity, and chemical one also. Thus
we wear away, and finally die of old age.
When disease sets in, it is a sudden clog
Of the wheels. as it were. The.vital ac~
ton by which life and consciousness is
maintained cannot be suspended but a
moment at furthest without a hazard of
death. When a man is drowned the
machine stops. If, however, certain
measures are quickly adopted, provided
respiration has been suspended but a
few minutes, life may possibly be re-
called. Th-t is, the heart may be urg-
ed into contraction and the lungs oLce
more commence filling aud collapsing.
When there are no violations of the
vital laws great longevity is a;tainable
Few, however, are so careful and dis
Greet as not to trespasss upon themselves
in some form, the penalty of which is
sickness, suffering and a premature death.
Whales, sharks, and some few of the
land &r.'nals whose food is invariably
easy Ut e,t >:s,ion, and whose habits, 80
lsatet ~ lis !. Il, ere Interchangeable -
1ature her>' If, live to immen~vly long
periods It is the opinion of ONE n4tu-
alists that the white whale of he Arc
ic r''gions may reach the patriarchal age
't thousand years. ~Larks, whose
skeletons are not bones, but flexible car
ilagin"us levers, are also supposed to
'ootinno several centuries, if hot des-
royed by enemies.
Notwithstanding the universal desire {
or life, which is instructive, we thought
A,sly hasten the approach of the very {
alamty we SO much dread With all t
he light of modern science, in an age, |
90, remarkable for intelligence, we pur- t
ue practices daily which we know to
e destructive to life. Each thinks him T
elf removed from the dangers which
hreaten others; and acting upon the z
lea that ali others are mortal but our Q
elves, we at last fall, as generations have e
efore us, to be remembered no more for g
yer. S
Youth may reach three score and ten n
= simply Conforming to those natural "
'ws which give health and happiness. P
! deviation is perilous; hence it be-
ooves those who love life to shun every e
afluence which might interfere with the a
the most valuable of all is
lessings-a sound body and clear 81
ind. lo
Dust RETURNING TO DUsT.-It is as :. :,
'rted by scientific writers that the num- " ~
.r of person who have existed on our y. y,
obe since the beginning oftime amounts 81 %.
66,627 ,s43, 43,273,075,256. These f. r. r,
Tres, when divided by 3,095,0o0-the ", "
lmber of square leagues ON theglobe- "
ave 1l,32o,6se,732 square miles of 6. O.
nd; which, being divided as before, ~ ~
We 1,3l4,626,076 persons to each IA "a
uare mile. If we reduce these miles ~
square rods, the number will be ~ ~
553,174,600,000, which, divided in p 1e
,e manner, will give 1888 inhabitants ~ ~
each square rod, and these being re- !"
ced to feet, will give about five per- 49,
rs TO each SQUARE foot of ferra f,u1 .io