The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1869-01-28
Random ThOughts.-.NO. 4.
BY THE EDITOR.

The February number Of the Atlantic Month ly
contains the second number of series of articles
on Consumption In America. This article
touches upon the real causes, as believe. will
try In few weeks to get room to publish a
portion of this article. One of tho causes as
signed, is impure air. As | believe this is the
great cause OF the increase Of consumption,
desire to go into the subject farther than the
writer in the Atlantic Monthly
! In order to understand how the breathing of
impure air directly causes consumption It will
be necessary to 20 into the subject of Chemistry
and Physiology to some extent And hrst Of
Chemistry.
The air which we breathe Is a compound sub
stance. Oxygen is that part of the air which is
essential to animal life, Qnd without itno animal
could live, and no fire could burn. Even the
fishes live by absorb ing oxygen from the water,
by assng water through their gills, which in
reality are their lungs. Another constituent of
air is carbonic acid gas, which In its pure state,
is deadly poison when taken into the lungs,
but it is rather pleasant when taken into the
stomach, as is done when.we drink soda water.
Vegetables absorb large quantities Of carbonic
acid gas the leaves taking 1t into the vegetable
system as the lungs of animals take In oxygen.
Biologists agree that there was period Of time
in the existence of this earth, when there was so
much carbonic acid gas in the atmosphere, that
animal life could not exist. That was the period
of gigantic vegetables. Ferns, which now grow
as weeds, were then great trees, and groves of
them being collected together, formed the coal
veins which man is now using. After this
gigantic vegetatio lon had absorbed the carbon for
ages, and stored it away for future inhabitants
of the earth, prcponderance Of oxygen made
it possible for low grade ofanlmal life to exist
upon the earth, and reptiles appeared; then
fishes then land animals; then man.
The most reliable writer's upon the subject
claim that at the present time, pure air, In ten
thousand parts, contains four parts of carbonic
acid gas Man can live comfortably where the
ar contains ten parts of carbonic acid gas In ten
thousand parts Where the proportion is larger
than this feeling of dullness, languor, head
ache &c. comes on. Where this poisonous gas
predominates, as is sometimes the case In wells,
coal mines cellars &c., and man brcathes 1t,
death ensues as speedily as If musket ball had
been sent through the brain.
II must now be borne in mind that when the
blood passes through the system, it imparts the
life principle Of the oxygen, and absorbs car
bonc acid gas. When 1t returns to the lungs 1t
is impure and Of q dark color, and throws out
this absorbed carbon, and receives, through the
process of breathing, oxygen from the air. At
once 1t becomes of bright red. Cut vein,
which is the vessel which is carrying the blood
to the lungs, and very dark, dull blood flows.
Cut an artery, which is the vessel which is car
rying The pure, oxygenlzed blood from the lungs,
and a bright, frothy, different kind Of blood will
come In spurts from the wound. Now stop the
supply of oxygen from the lungs, and the impure
blood is thrown back upon the brain, and other
parts of the system, and death Is the immediate
result.
have said that the blood absorbs carbonle
acid gas, and when ii returns through the lungs,
this gas Is thrown out In breathing. 1t has been
ascertained that pure air. when taken into the
lungs contains four par To of carbonlc acid gas
In ten thousand parts When this is thrown out
of the lungs, it contains four hundred parts Of
this gas In ten thousand, or the poisonous gas
is increased each act of breathing, one hun
drod times This rapid generation of deadly
poisonous gas by breathing Is where the danger
lies. This must be carried away by proper ven
Lllation, or serious consequences will be the
result when numbers OF persons are shut up for
a length of tlmo In q close room. The modern
Lola gr ttf.lt tplaa Ntntru
churches &C. with alr tight stoves instead of
the good old open fire place. Is one of the great
causes Of the increase of consumption.
But moro on this point hereafter. d. M.