The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1872-04-09
MEN ON FIRE.

GA man on fire." would be terrific cry;
"Men are burning" is hardly less start
ling statement. Somthing like this is often
said in igurative sense, as when we speak
of man being burnt up with rum; or, on
fire with zeal; but TO say that men are really
and literally burning all the time, as wood
burns, seems at first enough to startle
everybody. Yet this is not far from the
exact truth Ordinary burning, is simply
the rapid union Of oxygen with some other
substance, usually carbon. 1t is process;
phenomenon nothing else. The same
process only slower, is going on with our
bodies all the time. The chemical ele-
ment uniting are the same; the pro-
ducts are the same; the effects are nearly
the same. Heat is produced-less violent
it is true-the ruddy glow answering to
the slow flame.
But this is only a general statement; to
appreciate it we need to enter little into
particulars. One portion of food we eat
bears no part in building up either the
frame or tissues Of the body. 1t enters
neither into bone or muscle, but its funct-
ion is simply to produce heat. Carbon is
the principle, indeed almost the only, solid
ingrediant Of this portion of our food. 1t
appears in the first analysis in some form
of starch or sugar. These two substances
are almost identical in their nature, and
are composed of carbon an oxygen and hy-
drogen, the latter two being almost in the
exact proportion that forms water; so that
pure carbon and water. By far the largest
part of many articles of food consists of this
element Not taking into account the
water, wheat bread, for example, contains
fully thirty-nine per cent. of starch or
sugar, while potatoes contain no less than
ninety-two per cent. of the same Taking
all our food together, more than four-ffths
of the whole is Of this material, and serves
only or chiefly the purpose of keeingp us
warm.
The account of the process by which this
is done, would be something like the fol-
lowing:-These substances when taken
into the stomach, are converted by the pro-
cess of digestion into the variety of sugar
known as "grapo sugar''-so called be-
cause it is identical with the sugar of the
grape, the incrustation on the raisin being
the same. This grape sugar is most read
lily dissolved; and so dissolved in the stom-
ach, it is taken up by the little vessels which
lie along the intestinal canal into which the
food passes into the stomach. Through
these little vessels it finds its way into the
veins, which in turn convey it, mingled
with the venous blood, to the right side of
the heart. And thus it is that the blood
arrives at this point charged with two
substances, on account of both of which, it
needs communication with the air. One is
the carbonic acid which it has brought up
from previous combustion in the various
parts of the body, and which, like the
gases in a chimney, needs vent. The other
is this new carbon, in The form of sugar,
which it has just taken up from the food,
which, like fuel in furnace, needs oxygen.
We say, in case of the furnace, or stove, it
needs "draft." Efectually to secure this is
the purpose Of that wonderful contrivance,
the lungs. These are made up Of an i'm
mense number of little membranous bags
or cells, varying in size, but on an average,
not more than one-hundredth of an inch in
diameter. The total number of these cells
almost exceeds belief. They have been
estimated as high as six hundred million.
The membrane which separates them is the
thinnest conceivable, and throughout upon
its surface is spread network of exceeding
fine blood-vessels. Into all these minute
vessels the blood, so much needing air, is
forced by the action of the right side Of the
heart, (Which is hardly any thing more than
an ingenious and powerful forcing pump
The thin membrane separating the blood.
vessels from the air and cells, offers little
resistance to the oxygen of the air, which
readily passes through and mingles with
the blood, the blood at the same time giving
up the carbonc acid which ii contains
This carbonic acid passes off with the ali
which is thrown out from the lungs; but
the blood, having now this solution of OK
ygen or carbon, and new supply of OK
ygen, is returned to the left side of Tho
heart from whence, by another powerful
forcing process, it is sent out into all part
Of the body, the oxygen seizing hold Of thu
carbon and slowly consuming it as it goes
this process of burning-for it is burning
notbeing completed till the blood has reach
ed the very extremities. The amount o
carbon thus burnt up within the veins of